📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Avrajyoti Mitra
Politics
Delhi High Court bars public release of PM's foreign trip flight records
✍️ Amar Ujala · Delhi
🗓 20 Oct 2026, 09:15 AM
👁 20
The Delhi High Court set aside the Central Information Commission's order to disclose the Prime Minister's foreign‑trip flight logs on Indian Air Force aircraft, citing confidentiality concerns.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday overturned a directive issued by the Central Information Commission (CIC) that sought to make public the flight records of the Prime Minister's overseas trips undertaken on Indian Air Force aircraft. The bench held that releasing such information could compromise security and operational confidentiality, and therefore should remain classified.
The CIC had earlier ordered the Ministry of Defence to disclose details such as dates, routes and aircraft types used for the Prime Minister's foreign visits, invoking the Right to Information Act. The court's decision emphasizes the balance between transparency and national security considerations.
Legal counsel for the Ministry of Defence welcomed the ruling, stating that the decision aligns with established precedents on protecting sensitive defence information. The matter is now closed, and the flight logs will remain inaccessible to the public.
The ruling underscores the judiciary's role in interpreting the scope of information disclosure when it intersects with matters of state security, especially concerning the head of government.
The CIC had earlier ordered the Ministry of Defence to disclose details such as dates, routes and aircraft types used for the Prime Minister's foreign visits, invoking the Right to Information Act. The court's decision emphasizes the balance between transparency and national security considerations.
Legal counsel for the Ministry of Defence welcomed the ruling, stating that the decision aligns with established precedents on protecting sensitive defence information. The matter is now closed, and the flight logs will remain inaccessible to the public.
The ruling underscores the judiciary's role in interpreting the scope of information disclosure when it intersects with matters of state security, especially concerning the head of government.