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The Central Information Commission (CIC) has summoned Canara Bank’s CPIO (Central Public Information Officer) from the South Hyderabad Regional Office and RTI activist Robin Zaccheus for a hearing on November 12, 2026.
In August 2004, burglars broke into Canara Bank’s Sainikpuri branch in Hyderabad. The gang cut through the roof of the strongroom using marble-cutting equipment powered by electricity tapped from the bank’s neon signboard.
₹69 lakh in cash and a firearm was robbed from the bank. An activist Robin Zaccheus filed an RTI in April 2025 to request details about the robbery, investigation, and recovery or disposal of the stolen funds.
The Bank did not provide proper response in RTI. Following dissatisfaction with the bank’s response, Zaccheus filed an appeal, leading the CIC to issue summons requiring both parties to submit written statements and appear on November 12.
Banks are denying RTI Requests
In recent years, Public Sector Banks are denying to reveal information under RTI Act, citing various reasons.
Banks often claim that specific operational, policy, or administrative queries (such as internal vendor payments or association contributions) lack a demonstrated “larger public interest”.
Transparency watchdogs and former Information Commissioners have noted that banks sometimes illegally attempt to invoke secrecy clauses from older legislation (like the Banking Regulation Act or RBI Act) to block disclosures, even though the RTI Act overrides conflicting prior laws.
Studies by transparency groups like the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) have shown that public banks reject a high volume of applications under vague “Others” categories or unverified exemptions.
