Priyanka tries to block RTI on property again

Times of India: New Delhi: Saturday, 18 July 2015.

Priyanka Gandhi objected to sharing information on her property details on the argument that the RTI applicant seeking the disclosure was not a resident of Himachal Pradesh. Questioning the locus standi of RTI applicant Dev Ashish Bhattacharya, Gandhi moved the Himachal high court in yet another move to prevent the information from being made public.

Earlier Priyanka, daughter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, had argued that information disclosed would be a threat to her life.

In a writ petition filed in HP high court Priyanka Gandhi claimed that Bhattacharya is not a resident of Himachal Pradesh and is not a Himachali and therefore has no locus standi to even question the correctness or otherwise of the order granting any relaxation in favour of Priyanka Gandhi permitting her to purchase property in the state.

She also said that Bhattacharya was complete stranger to HP and lives in NOIDA, therefore, could not be aggrieved of an order passed by the state urging that the petition be dismissed.

"Priyanka Gandhi is the daughter of the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi who credits Congress for giving RTI Act to the nation. And see the callous reasoning being provided by Priyanka Gandhi for the non disclosure of the asked for information,'' Bhattacharya said.

Bhattacharya had sought copies of land records and other property details owned by Priyanka Gandhi in a RTI query in June 2014. The HP state information commission had ruled that the information should be disclosed. However Gandhi approached high court to block disclosure.