The Central Information Commission has directed the Public Works Department’s North West Electrical Division to furnish complete tender-related records for Contract No. 245/EE(E) NIED/PWD (2022–23), and has advised the authority to proactively publish such documents online to improve transparency. The order, delivered by Information Commissioner Vinod Kumar Tiwari on November 17, 2025, notes that the information requested including the award letter, completion certificate, measurement book, quality check report and bill of quantities is squarely in the public interest and should not ordinarily attract exemption under the RTI Act.
The case arose after appellant Ravinder Kumar Jain filed an offline RTI application on January 20, 2024 seeking detailed records about the contract and subsequent payments. The application was transferred between PWD offices before the North West Electrical Division responded on April 29, 2024 by offering inspection of records and declining certain parts of the request under Sections 2(j) and 8(1)(d). The Commission, after hearing both parties and reviewing records and submissions filed by the public authority, found that much of the material sought should be released and be made available proactively on the authority’s website.
Reflecting on broader practice, the Commission praised another public authority (the Delhi Development Authority) for publishing tender documents and measurement books online and expressly urged the PWD to follow that lead. The bench issued an advisory under Section 25(5) of the RTI Act, stressing that where public funds are used, public authorities should “make constant endeavour” to disclose tender and contract documents under Section 4 so citizens are not forced to seek them through individual RTI applications. The Commission’s comparison underlines a push from CIC for routine, user-friendly proactive disclosure across government bodies.
Practically, the PWD was ordered to provide the appellant with the full, point-wise information requested, including a copy of the award letter, within four weeks of receiving the order; up to 50 pages must be supplied free of cost as per RTI rules. The order also requires that a copy be placed before the head of department so the advisory can be implemented at a higher administrative level, and it directs the First Appellate Authority to ensure compliance. These directions are framed to both remedy the individual grievance and to reduce future RTI burden through better online disclosure.
