RTI Act applies to Cochin International Airport: Supreme Court upholds Kerala HC ruling

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a challenge to the Kerala High Court's ruling that the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) falls under the purview of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) [M/S.Cochin International Airport Limited Versus The State Information Commission And Anr.]..The High Court had ruled that CIAL is a ‘public authority’ under the RTI Act and is, therefore, obliged to disclose information to parties who approach it with RTI applications. CIAL had approached the top court challenging this finding, arguing that it was a company incorporated under the Companies Act and not a creation of the parliament or not funded by the government to fall under the RIT Act.The top court had earlier stayed the High Court judgment. Today, a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed CIAL's plea.However, it agreed to waive costs imposed by the High Court earlier on CIAL..The judgment under challenge was passed on August 5, 2025, when the High Court Division Bench of Justices SA Dharmadhikari and Syam Kumar VM had upheld rulings by a single-judge of the Court as well as the State Information Commission (SIC) holding CIAL to be a 'public authority'. "It is held that CIAL is a 'public authority' under Sec. 2(h)(d)(i) of the RTI Act. The view taken by SIC in the impugned order dated 20.06.2019 is affirmed, holding that CIAL is bound to divulge necessary information and meet the statutory obligations placed upon its shoulders vide the various provisions of the RTI Act, including the appointment of PIO and divulging of necessary information in the said regard," the High Court's judgment said.It also directed CIAL to take all necessary steps to become completely compliant with the RTI Act and file a compliance report.The High Court further noted that the appeals before it were filed by the Managing Director of CIAL without the approval of the CIAL Board of Directors. Even the Chief Minister, who is the Chairman, was not consulted before filing the plea. Deprecating the move, the High Court directed the Chief Secretary to the government of Kerala, who is also a member of the Board, to take action against the Managing Director. To curb such actions in the future, the Court deemed it fit to impose costs of ₹1 lakh on CIAL, to be deposited with the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association. These costs were waived by the top court today, even though it dismissed CIAL's appeal. .Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.