Delhi High Court Blocks Disclosure of PM Travel Records

The Delhi High Court set aside a Central Information Commission (CIC) order that had directed the Indian Air Force to disclose detailed flight records of foreign travel undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh between April 2013 and June 2018.

The legal dispute began when retired Commodore Lokesh K Batra filed a Right to Information (RTI) request for Special Flight Returns (SFR) Part I and Part II. Batra argued that the public had a right to know how public funds were expended and the identity of private individuals accompanying the Prime Ministers. While the CIC had previously ordered the disclosure of SFR-II records with redacted security personnel names, the court rejected this approach.

Justice Amit Mahajan ruled that releasing the records—including details on aircraft, aircrew, and entourage particulars—could allow sensitive security arrangements to be reconstructed, thereby compromising national security and endangering the Prime Minister's life. The court held that the expenditure of public money does not justify the disclosure of information that jeopardizes security arrangements. Furthermore, the ruling affirmed that the court cannot substitute its own assessment for the subjective satisfaction of competent security agencies regarding physical safety and state security.