The doctrine of 'Public Interest Immunity' (formerly Crown Privilege) allows the government to withhold disclosure of documents in legal proceedings when:
- The documents contain embarrassing information about officials
- Disclosure would harm national security, diplomatic relations, or other compelling public interests
- The documents are old and irrelevant
- The opposing party is a foreign entity
Answer: Disclosure would harm national security, diplomatic relations, or other compelling public interests
Public Interest Immunity (PII) in India: (a) Government can claim immunity from document disclosure if: (i) Disclosure would harm national security, diplomatic relations, law enforcement, (ii) Public interest in non-disclosure outweighs interest in fair trial, (b) Court's role: Balance competing public interests; can inspect documents in camera to decide, (c) Not absolute: Courts retain final authority to order disclosure if justice requires. Balances transparency/fair trial with legitimate state secrecy needs.