The Central Information Commission, CIC has held that records cannot be weeded out if a citizen has sought information related to them through the RTI route. CIC said that destroying records if RTI application is pending would be a violation of the transparency law. The transparency panel passed this stricture while hearing the plea of Ashok Dixit who sought some information from Delhi Technological University but was denied on the pretext that records carrying the information have been weeded out.

Taking a stern view of the varsity's explanation, Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu issued a show cause notice to the university asking why a maximum penalty of 25,000 rupees not be slapped on it for not providing information. Mr Acharyulu said the public authority has to explain the Commission whether they are following the provisions of the Public Records Act 1993 in destroying old records.