Identity of people who commit suicide not to be disclosed: CIC

The CIC gave the ruling while allowing the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre to withhold such details of its employees. The case relates to an RTI application filed by activist Chetan Kothari who sought to know from the Centre the list of its employees who have committed suicide during the last 15 years. BARC gave the number of employees who have committed suicide but refused to disclose their names and the positions they held.

The BARC said it is personal information and cannot be shared under the provisions of the transparency law. "We think that the official was right in not disclosing the names of those employees who had committed suicide. The information regarding the manner of death of an individual person is ordinarily in the nature of personal information," Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra said.

Mishra said he found "nothing wrong" in the decision of the BARC officials. "The family members of the deceased have the right to live a life of dignity. Disclosure of information regarding the suicide of a family member and the consequent discussion in the public about death has the potential to cause severe invasion of the privacy of the family, let alone causing disrespect to the dead," he said.