Man takes RTI route to find match for daughter

An “highly informed” man from Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district who was reportedly looking for a suitable match for his daughter made an attempt to utilise the RTI provision to the hilt, by seeking information about the prospective grooms.

He filed an application before the principal of a government ayurvedic college in Pilibhit seeking details of the students who had graduated from the college in the last ten years. “I was surprised when I received an application recently seeking details of students of our college under the RTI Act,” says Dr B P Pandey, principal of Lalithari Government Ayurvedic Medical College.

The principal later found that the applicant had been looking for a suitable match for his daughter and had filed the application under the RTI Act to collect information for the purpose. “Once I came to know about the real motive, I refused it,” he added.

The students also voiced their opposition. “The RTI is aimed at providing the right to question the government... It cannot be used for personal benefit,” opined a student.