A CITIZEN HAS A RIGHT TO OBTAIN INFORMATION FROM A PUBLIC AUTHORITY IN THE FORM OF PHOTOCOPY, FLOPPY OR IN ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC MODE.

The information to the applicant should ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought. However, if the supply of information sought in a particular form would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority, or may cause harm to the safety or preservation of the records, supply of information in that form may be denied. In some cases, the applicants expect the public information officer to give information in some particular pro forma devised by them on the plea that they have a right to get information in the form in which it is sought. It need be noted that the provision in the Act, simply means that if the information is sought in the form of photography, it shall be provided in the form of photography, or if it is sought in the form of a floppy, or in any electronic mode, it shall be provided in that form, subject to the condition given in the Act. It doesn't mean that the PIO shall re-shape the information. Some information seekers request the public information officers to cull out information from some document(s) and give such extracted information to them. A citizen has a right to get material from a public authority which is held by or under the control of that public authority. The Act, however does not require the public information officer to deduce some conclusion from the material and supply the conclusion so deduced to the applicant. It means that the public information officer is required to supply the material in the form as held by the public authority, but not to do research on behalf of the citizen to deduce any thing from the material and then supply it to him:-- Er Fateh chand Guleria Phone number 9459334377