Question

Under the RTI Act, the burden of proving that a denial of a request was justified lies on whom?

Q: Answer-Under the RTI Act, the burden of proving that a denial of a request was justified lies on whom?

Under Section 195 of the Right to Information Act, in any appeal proceedings, the onus to prove that a denial of a request was justified lies on the Public Information Officer who denied the request. This reverse burden reinforces the presumption in favour of disclosure under the Act. It requires the PIO to demonstrate that the refusal was based on a valid exemption or other lawful ground, rather than requiring the applicant to show that the information should have been disclosed.