Gujarat Information Commission demands end to CID's RTI exemption in cyber fraud cases

AHMEDABAD: In a game-changing decision, the Gujarat State Information Commission has slammed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) (Crime) for hiding behind a 19-year-old RTI exemption to deny critical information to cyber fraud victims.
The Commission has now recommended the state government revoke the special immunity granted to CID Crime regarding cyber fraud cases—delivering a major win for transparency and the rights of hundreds of duped citizens.
The exemption, in effect since October 25, 2005, under a Home Department notification, placed CID Crime beyond the purview of the Right to Information Act for crime-related investigations.
However, the recent judgment has pierced this shield in the context of cybercrime, which the Commission argued is no longer a conventional 'sensitive crime' but a rapidly escalating public menace impacting citizens daily.
The ruling stemmed from a plea by Rakesh Kumar Prajapati, a Gandhinagar resident who lost Rs 4.5 lakh to cyber fraud. After filing a complaint with the Cyber Crime Cell, Prajapati sought the FIR copy and related documents under the RTI Act. CID Crime rejected his request, citing the 2005 exemption.
Unwilling to accept silence in the face of theft, Prajapati took the matter to the State Information Commission.

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