The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed IIT Madras to disclose project-wise details of grant fund utilisation for the financial year 2023-24. The order came after an RTI application filed by Ananya Dubey. She requested information about grant-in-aid received during the previous three financial years. She also sought utilisation certificates and details of collaborations. The commission said the institute must provide a clear and revised response.
Initially, the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) refused the request. The officer said the information covered several years and involved a large number of records. Therefore, collecting the data would require significant resources. Later, the applicant limited her request to one financial year. The CPIO then confirmed that IIT Madras received ₹537 crore for sponsored research and ₹241 crore for industry research projects during that period.
The Central Information Commission ordered IIT Madras to provide a detailed reply on the utilisation of grant-in-aid funds for the financial year 2023-24.ding
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However, the reply did not include project-wise grant fund utilisation details. The CPIO stated that utilisation certificates required approval from sponsoring agencies before disclosure. The officer also explained that information on collaborations was not readily available. As a result, the applicant approached the CIC, claiming the institute had not provided complete information under the RTI Act.
During the hearing, IIT Madras informed the commission that it handled more than 1,000 projects in 2023-24. The institute argued that some projects were still active. It also said certain records involved third-party information protected under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. Nevertheless, Information Commissioner Sudha Rani Relangi observed that the request for grant fund utilisation details remained unanswered.
The commissioner directed the CPIO to issue a fresh and categorical reply. The revised response must specifically address the IIT Madras grant fund utilisation details for 2023-24. The decision highlights the importance of transparency in the use of public funds. It also reinforces the role of the RTI Act in promoting accountability at publicly funded institutions.