Economic
Times: New Delhi: Monday, 15 February 2016.
The inquiry
report into alleged irregularities in the purchase of 100 air conditioners is
"personal information" for National Bal Bhavan, an institution under
HRD Ministry, which has refused to disclose it citing there is no larger public
interest in it.
The arguments
given by Bal Bhavan to withhold information on irregularities have been
rejected by the Central Information Commission (CIC) which has issued a show
cause notice asking why maximum penalty not be imposed for withholding this
information from the applicant.
The case
relates to purchase of 100 air conditioners over which Khajan Chand filed an
RTI application seeking records related to the purchase and electricity works besides
a two-member inquiry committee report which looked into the matter.
Bal Bhavan
responded by saying that the information is exempted from disclosure as cited
section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act and added it was a personal information and
disclosure of it is not in larger public interest.
Information
Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu pointed out that Bal Bhavan officials objected
to the disclosure saying that they could not furnish the inquiry report as the
same was to be processed under General Financial Rules and also the comments of
the Director, Bal Bhavan were to be received.
Rejecting the
arguments, Acharyulu said the report should be made public. The Commission also
directed the department to inform it within one month the action taken on the
two-member inquiry report into the purchase of the air conditioners and why was
there a delay in taking action on it.
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