PEOPLE'S UNION FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES vs U.O.I. — C.A. No. 4294/1998

Case Summary: People's Union for Civil Liberties v. U.O.I. (CA 4294/1998) Court Decision: The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, upholding the government's right to withhold an Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) safety report under Section 18 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962. Key Reasoning: While recognizing that the right to information is a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a), the Court held that Section 18—which permits the Central Government to restrict disclosure of sensitive nuclear information—is constitutionally valid as a reasonable restriction in the interest of state security. The Court determined that nuclear plant operations are inherently sensitive; disclosure of safety defect details could facilitate sabotage and enable hostile nations to reverse-calculate India's nuclear capabilities. The judgment balanced competing public interests (citizens' right to know vs. national security) and concluded that security concerns outweighed transparency demands in this context. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.