The Delhi High Court has made it clear that it cannot dictate how the Central Information Commission (CIC) manages its hearing calendar, even when appeals are left waiting in the pipeline.
The case stemmed from a plea by Sunil Bagai, who sought a faster decision on his second appeal pending before the Commission. When the matter came up, Justice Sachin Datta drew a firm line: the CIC’s scheduling is its own domain, not something the Court will micro-manage.
“The Commission alone regulates its calendar and schedule of hearings,” the Court remarked, underlining that judicial intervention in such internal matters is off-limits.
Still, the bench did not shut the door on Bagai. The Court allowed him to directly approach the CIC bench handling his appeal and make a formal request for early hearing. It also nudged the Commission to aim for a decision within eight weeks, given the circumstances.
With that, the petition was wrapped up. Bagai argued his case personally, while the CIC was represented by Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma along with advocates Laavanya Kaushik and Kyaati Bansal.