Delhi High Court holds records of the Prime Minister's foreign travel in Air Force aircraft are exempt from the Right to Information Act

15 October 2026

Justice Amit Mahajan of the Delhi High Court on 15 October 2026 set aside a Central Information Commission order that had directed the Indian Air Force to give certified copies of Special Flight Return Part II records with the names of security personnel redacted. The case is The Central Public Information Officer, Directorate of Personal Services, Air Headquarters, Indian Air Force v. Commodore Lokesh K Batra (Retd). The applicant, a retired naval officer, had sought details of foreign visits by Prime Ministers on Air Force aircraft between April 2013 and June 2018. The court held that the Air Force was justified in invoking the exemptions under Sections 8(1)(a) and 8(1)(g) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. It said the fact that public funds were spent on the visits does not by itself justify disclosure that may compromise security arrangements, and that a court or the Commission cannot substitute its own assessment for that of the competent security agencies.