LAHORE: The Lahore Excessive Courtroom has upheld an Data Fee order directing the Lahore Electrical Provide Firm (LESCO) to offer a citizen with minutes of Human Assets and Board of Administrators conferences regarding the promotion of LESCO Chief Muhammad Ramzan Butt.
Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh dismissed LESCO’s constitutional petition difficult the Data Fee’s Might 4, 2026 choice, ruling that public our bodies can not preserve assembly proceedings completely confidential after a ultimate choice has been made.
In an 11-page judgment, the court docket noticed that the Proper of Entry to Data Act, 2017 protects minutes of conferences from disclosure whereas a ultimate choice is pending. Nevertheless, the exemption doesn’t stay relevant as soon as the general public physique has reached a ultimate choice.
The court docket famous that Article 19-A of the Structure ensures residents the suitable to entry data on issues of public significance, topic to cheap restrictions prescribed by regulation. It mentioned the target of right-to-information laws is to advertise transparency and accountability in public establishments.
Citizen Atiq Ahmed Khan had sought licensed copies of the minutes of LESCO’s 144th Human Assets assembly held on February 27, 2023, and the 261st Board of Administrators assembly held on Might 4, 2025. Each conferences associated to the promotion of LESCO officer Muhammad Ramzan Butt.
LESCO had argued that the data contained the officer’s service file, annual confidential experiences, remarks and different private data and have been due to this fact exempt from disclosure.
The excessive court docket rejected the argument, observing that data regarding an officer’s promotion doesn’t robotically make the whole file protected private data.
The court docket mentioned any particular parts containing legally protected data may very well be separated or redacted, however the whole assembly file couldn’t be withheld on that foundation.
Justice Sheikh additional held that an applicant in search of data shouldn’t be required to reveal the aim for which it’s being requested. A public physique, due to this fact, can not demand a proof of the applicant’s motive or goal for in search of data.
The court docket positioned the burden of creating a lawful foundation for withholding data on the general public physique and noticed that LESCO had failed to point out that the requested minutes, of their entirety, fell inside any statutory exemption.
The court docket additionally upheld the Data Fee’s path requiring LESCO to offer the knowledge inside 10 days, noting that the fee has the authority to make sure compliance with its choices and direct public our bodies to reveal data.
The court docket concluded that the Data Fee’s choice contained neither illegality nor any jurisdictional defect and dismissed LESCO’s petition.
