Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has refused to stay an order blacklisting an individual from seeking information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, emphasizing that the judicial system will not allow misuse of the RTI law.
The petitioner, Devaprasad K, was blacklisted by the State Information Commissioner on January 28, 2025, preventing him from filing further RTI applications after he submitted 476 requests on the same subject.
During the hearing, Justice Suraj Govindaraj’s bench stated that while enthusiasm for public interest is appreciated, filing hundreds of applications is excessive and constitutes misuse of the system. The court directed the state government to provide details on the nature and content of the applications submitted by the petitioner and set the next hearing for November 12.
Devaprasad’s counsel argued that the applications covered various issues and fell within the legal rights granted by the RTI Act. However, the bench maintained that submitting such a high volume of applications, even in public spirit, was an abuse of the process.
The court ultimately denied the request to lift the blacklisting, reiterating that the provisions of the RTI Act could not be exploited without consequence. The case highlights concerns about balancing the public’s right to information with preventing systematic misuse of the law.
