Four banks move CIC against RBI nod to disclose NPAs, defaulters’ list under RTI

Four major banks — Bank of Baroda, RBL Bank, Yes Bank and State Bank of India — have approached the CIC objecting to the disclosure of information such as the list of defaulters and NPA, penalties and inspection reports, even as the RBI termed the records “liable to be disclosed” under the RTI Act.

RTI applicants Dheeraj Mishra, Vathiraj, Girish Mittal and Radha Raman Tiwari had filed separate applications with the RBI, seeking information, such as the top 100 NPAs, willful defaulters of Yes Bank, the inspection report of the SBI and RBL, and documents relating to a ₹4.34 crore monetary penalty imposed following statutory inspection findings from the Bank of Baroda, respectively, among others.

These banks appealed before the Central Information Commission, after the RBI found that the information sought by applicants could be disclosed under the provisions of the RTI Act. Information Commissioner Khushwant Singh Sethi referred the matter to a larger bench of the CIC to adjudicate on the issues raised by the banks. The banks claimed that disclosing regulatory information would harm their commercial interests.