The Delhi High Court has clarified that a person cannot obtain details of their spouse’s income through the Right to Information (RTI) Act. In a judgment delivered on April 28, Justice Purushendra Kumar Kaur observed that income tax records constitute “personal information” and are protected from disclosure under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, unless a larger public interest is involved.
The case concerned a woman pursuing a maintenance claim against her husband, who had sought details of his taxable income from 2007-08 onwards through an RTI application.
Although the Central Information Commission (CIC) had directed the disclosure of the information in 2021, the High Court set aside that order. The court noted that in maintenance and alimony proceedings, both parties are already required to disclose their income, assets, and liabilities before the concerned court.
