The advice of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to national carrier Air India, effectively barring it from sharing information regarding the prime minister's charter flights with RTI applicants, has come under scrutiny.

Speaking to The Quint, former Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said that the advice has no legal basis and that Air India is under no compulsion to follow it.

The December 2016 directive, sent to Air India via email, came to light in March 2018 — when the airline denied information to an RTI applicant, Retired Commodore Lokesh Batra, attaching the PMO's email.