Petition for providing details of SC employees approved

Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan Monday approved the appeal to provide details of its employees under ‘Right to Information’ Act.

According to details, the court ordered the registrar's office to provide the information of the Supreme Court employees within seven days.

The Supreme Court ordered that Registrar Supreme Court should provide the information to the petitioner within seven days.

Justice Athar Minullah has also written an additional note in the judgment.

In the decision, the Supreme Court has stated that the Right to Information Act does not apply to the Supreme Court, access to information is the right of citizens under Article 19A.

The Supreme Court continued that in the decision that it is necessary for the petitioner requesting the information to provide reasons. The applicant should be refunded the fee deposited for the intra-court appeal and the appeal in the Supreme Court. The decision should also be issued in Urdu. The information provider is obliged to evaluate the reasons.

It should be noted that the Supreme Court had reserved its decision on September 27 after hearing the arguments of the petitioner Mukhtar Ahmed and the Attorney General.

Mukhtar Ahmed had approached the Registrar Supreme Court for the details of the Supreme Court employees which was refused by the former Registrar Supreme Court.

The petitioner approached the Information Commission, on which the Information Commission asked the then Registrar Supreme Court to provide the information.

The Registrar Supreme Court had approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the decision of the Information Commission.