Daily Excelsior: New Delhi: Monday, February 29, 2016.
The Central
Information Commission has directed the Home Ministry to disclose action taken
against the officials of intelligence agencies who had cleared the names of
actor Saif Ali Khan (2010) and businessman Arun Firodia (2012) for Padma
awards.
Acting on a plea of activist Subhash Agrawal
who had alleged that due diligence was not taken while clearing their names for
the coveted awards, CIC quoted previous order of the Commission which had said once
awards have been finalised there is larger public interest in disclosing
information about it.
Agrawal had sought to know “complete
information on action taken against the ones concerned in intelligence agencies
for clearing names of Arun Firodia and Saif Ali Khan for Padma awards without
proper investigation”.
He had also asked about steps taken to
disclose names of members of the Awards Committee for Padma awards making
specific recommendations.
Information Commissioner Sudhir Bhargava also
directed the Ministry to make public if PMO and some public authority concerned
received objections against some of Padma awardees including also for year 2014
besides complete records and file notings on the action taken on it.
Bhargava further directed disclosure of names
of those having made recommendations for Padma awards 2015 and if such
information has been put on the website as assured by MHA in an earlier
communication.
“The Commission with regards to point nos. 21
and 22 of the RTI application observes that providing the name of persons
making recommendations for Padma awards 2015 and also number of
recommendations received from each State/ ministries would make the process
transparent and will be in the interest of the public as people would become aware
as to who is recommending whose name for the prestigious awards,” he said.
(PTI)
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