LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) - The Lahore High Court has upheld an Information Commission order directing Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) to provide a citizen with the minutes of Human Resources and Board of Directors meetings concerning the promotion of LESCO Chief Muhammad Ramzan Butt.
Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh dismissed LESCO’s constitutional petition challenging the Information Commission’s decision and ruled that public bodies cannot keep records of meeting proceedings permanently confidential once a final decision has been taken.
In an 11-page judgment, Justice Sheikh observed that under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, minutes of meetings are protected from disclosure until a final decision is reached. However, the exemption does not continue after a public body has made its final decision.
The court noted that Article 19-A of the Constitution guarantees citizens a fundamental right to access information on matters of public importance, subject to reasonable restrictions prescribed by law. The primary purpose of right-to-information legislation is to promote transparency and accountability in public institutions.
According to the judgment, citizen Atiq Ahmed Khan had sought certified copies of the minutes of LESCO’s 144th Human Resources meeting held on February 27, 2023, and its 261st Board of Directors meeting held on May 4, 2025. Both meetings concerned the promotion of LESCO officer Muhammad Ramzan Butt.
LESCO argued that the meeting records contained the officer’s service record, annual confidential reports, remarks and other personal information and therefore could not be disclosed to the citizen.
The high court rejected the argument, holding that the mere fact that information relates to an officer’s promotion does not automatically place the entire record within the category of protected personal information.
The court said that if specific portions of the meeting minutes contain information protected under the law, those portions may be separated or redacted. However, the entire record cannot be withheld on that basis.
Justice Sheikh further observed that a person seeking information is not required to disclose the purpose for which the information is being requested. Under the law, a public body cannot demand that an applicant explain the reason or objective behind an information request.
The burden of establishing a lawful justification for withholding information rests with the public body. The court noted that LESCO had failed to establish that the requested meeting minutes, in their entirety, fell within any statutory exemption.
The court also upheld the Information Commission’s direction requiring LESCO to provide the requested information within 10 days, observing that the commission has the authority to ensure compliance with its decisions and direct public bodies to disclose information.
The court concluded that the Information Commission’s May 4, 2026 decision contained neither an illegality nor any jurisdictional defect and dismissed LESCO’s constitutional petition.