CBI must answer RTIs on corruption, human rights abuses: Govt

Information pertaining to allegations of corruption and human rights violations can be sought from the CBI under the Right to Information Act as exemptions given to the organisation do not cover such records, the Lok Sabha was informed today. [caption id=“attachment_1652633” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ranjit Sinha of the CBI: PTI[/caption] Minister of State for Personnel and Training Jitendra Singh said that the CBI has been included in the Second Schedule to the Right to Information Act, 2005, thereby exempting it from the purview of the Act except in respect of information pertaining to the allegations of corruption and human rights violations. In a written reply, the Minister said some representations have been received objecting to the inclusion of CBI in the second schedule of the RTI Act, 2005. “The Government decided to include the Bureau in the Second Schedule after satisfying itself that it qualifies to be included in the Schedule as a security and intelligence organisation and that it is necessary to do so in the interest of the security of the State,” the minister said. Organisations listed under Section 24 of the RTI are exempted from disclosure under the Act except when information held by them pertains to allegations of corruption or human rights violation. In such cases, disclosure would be judged by provisions of the RTI Act. Former Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra had clarified in one of his decisions that if any information held by an exempted organisation pertaining to allegations of corruption or human rights violation is sought by an applicant, its disclosure would be judged by the RTI Act and the exemption will not apply. PTI