Justice Peter Evans ruled against the council in the Launceston Supreme Court yesterday and refused to grant an order declaring a notice to produce documents to the Tasmanian Integrity Commission invalid.

The order was sent to the council on April 11 this year and demanded that it produce all incoming and outgoing emails, including deleted emails, of three people working in its planning and infrastructure areas between March 21  and June 23, 2010.

General manager Ian Pearce said the council was happy to disclose the information but decided to challenge the order because it objected to the fact that the commission refused to tell it the nature of the complaint  and did not make any allowances for information that  might  be personal and unrelated or commercial in confidence.

Mayor Barry Easther said that decision was supported by the council.

Councillors believe the complaint was sparked by an anonymous letter that first came to the   attention of the council in 2010, but have not received official confirmation of that fact from the commission.

The council challenged the order on the basis that it did not comply with the requirements set out in the commission's own act, namely that it specify the information required and identify why the commission had a right to see it.

Justice Evans ruled that the commission was entitled to  keep complaints in confidence until   a hearing took place.

Costs were awarded to the commission.

The council has been given seven days to make an application challenging the costs ruling  and 21 days to appeal.

The commission received 131 complaints in the 2010-11 financial year, nine of which were anonymous.