1. Short title, extent and commencement.-(1) This Act may be called the
Freedom of Information Act, 2002.
(2) It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by
notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.-In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) "appropriate Government" means in relation to a public authority
established, constituted, owned, substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly or controlled-
(i) by the Central Government, the Central Government;
(ii) by the State Government, the State Government;
(iii) by the Union territory, the Central Government; (b) "competent authority" means-
(i) the Speaker in the case of the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly and the Chairman in the case of the Council
of States or the Legislative Council; (ii) the Chief Justice of India in the case of the Supreme Court; (iii) the Chief Justice of the High Court in the case of the High Court; (iv) the President or the Governor, as the case may be, in case of other authorities created by or under the Constitution; (v) the administrator appointed under Article 239 of the Constitution;
1. Received
Pt. II, S. 1,
the
dt.
assent
7th January,
of the President 2003, pp.
on
1-8.
January 6, 2003 and published in the Gazette of India, Extra.,
[52]
S. 4] FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AСТ, 2002 53
(c) "freedom of information" means the right to obtain information from
any public authority by means of,-
(i) inspection, taking of extracts and notes;
(ii) certified copies of any records of such public authority;
(iii) diskettes, floppies or in any other electronic mode or through
printouts where such information is stored in a computer or in any
other device;
(d) "information" means any material in any form relating to the
administration, operations or decisions of a public authority;
the (e) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act by
appropriate Government or the competent authority, as the case may be;
(f)"public authority" means any authority or body established or
constituted,-
(i) by or under the Constitution;
(ii) by any law made by the appropriate Government,
and includes any other body owned, controlled or substantially financed by funds
provided directly or indirectly by the appropriate Government;
(g) "Public Information Officer" means the Public
appointed under sub-section (1) of Section 5;
(h) "record" includes-
(i) any document, manuscript and file;
Information Officer
(ii) any microfilm, microfiche and facsimile copy of a document;
(iii) any reproduction of image or images embodied in such microfilm
(whether enlarged or not); and
(iv) anyother material produced by a computer or by any other device;
(i) "third party" means a person other than the person making a
request for information and includes a public authority.