In a landmark decision, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act do not have to be submitted in physical form with signatures, clearing the way for requests made via email.
The case involved Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, which had refused to provide information to an applicant, arguing that a physical application with a signature was necessary to prevent fraudulent requests. The court, however, disagreed, stating that once an applicant verifies their identity, a written submission is not required under Section 6 of the RTI Act.
The ruling came after a petitioner appeared in court, reaffirming that he was indeed the person who had submitted the RTI request. The court directed the university to supply the requested information within 30 days, reinforcing that email submissions, backed by proper identification, are legally valid under the RTI framework.