According to the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) under the Ministry of Petroleum, the information related to the imports of crude oil from Russia cannot be disclosed since it is confidential information and thus not covered by the Right to Information Act (RTI).

This assertion was backed by the Central Information Commission (CIC), which said the disclosure may have a negative impact on the country’s national interests. The case arises out of an RTI application seeking information on crude oil imports from Russia from June 2022 to June 2025.

In addition, the applicant sought information on imports by entities such as the Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, ONGC Videsh, Reliance Industries, and Nayara Energy.

The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) refused to provide the information, stating that the country-by-country and company-wise crude oil import details are commercially confidential and cannot be shared under Sections 8(1)(d) and 8(1)(e) of the RTI Act, 2005.

However, the total import quantity and value can be obtained from the PPAC website. The First Appellate Authority upheld this decision. During a recent hearing, the appellant stated that it had not been provided with information and wanted to understand how the country was performing in this area.

In its interim decision, the Central Information Commission stated that disclosing the information sought could adversely impact the country's strategic and economic interests and could also affect relations with other countries, as the information relates to geopolitical relations.

The Commission also issued a show-cause notice to the relevant PPAC official for his absence from the hearing despite prior notice. The Commission further noted that no information regarding the RTI tab was available on the respondent's website and directed them to comply with Section 4 of the RTI Act.