Times of India: New Delhi: Thursday, July 12, 2018.
In a decision
that could have a far-reaching impact on making the selection process of
national awards more transparent, the Central Information Commission has
ordered the MCI to reveal the process of selection of award recipients to an
RTI applicant.
The order by
information commissioner Yashovardhan Azad clarifies, “The process of bestowing
national honours cannot be kept away from public scrutiny. Any practice
facilitating opacity will go on to diminish the sanctity of the honour and its
past recipients.”
It came on an
application by R Natarajan, who wanted information from the Medical Council of
India (MCI) regarding the Dr B C Roy National Award, conferred on ace doctors
annually by the President.
The MCI did
not respond satisfactorily to Natarajan’s application. Azad rebutted the MCI
contention that the award fund was a separate society and thus out of the ambit
of MCI. “It does not partake a distinct legal character as far as access of
information is concerned,” Azad said. “In garb of functional autonomy, the
parent body MCI cannot be said to have abrogated its right to access
information from the society,” he said.