Sebi: Cases where Buch recused herself not 'readily available'

NEW DELHI: The cases where Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch recused herself due to potential conflict of interest are not "readily" available and collating them would "disproportionately divert" its resources, the market regulator said in response to an RTI application on Friday.

In the response furnished to transparency activist Commodore Lokesh Batra (retd), the regulator also refused to provide copies of Buch's declarations to govt and the Sebi Board on the financial assets and equities held by her and her family members on the grounds of these being "personal information" and that their disclosure may "endanger" personal safety.

It also denied disclosing the dates on which the disclosures were made. The Sebi Central Public Information Officer used the grounds of "personal information" and "safety" to deny copy of those declarations.

"Since the information sought does not pertain to you and the same relates to personal information, the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest and may cause unwarranted invasion into the privacy of the individual and may also endanger the life or physical safety of the person(s). The same is, therefore exempt in terms of Section 8(1)(g) and 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, 2005," the RTI response said. "Further, the information on cases where Madhabi Puri Buch recused herself due to potential conflicts of interest during her tenure is not readily available and collating the same will lead to disproportionately diverting the resources of the public authority in terms of Section 7(9) of the RTI Act," it said. Agencies