PTI: New Delhi: Monday, May 16,
2016.
The Central
Information Commission has directed the President's Secretariat to disclose the
objections raised by it or by security agencies on allowing a residential
complex on a 23-acre plot on Sardar Patel Marg in the diplomatic area.
The
President's Secretariat had refused to disclose information citing exemptions
under Section 24 (1) of the Right to Information Act.
The section
allows intelligence and security agencies listed under it to be exempted from
the provisions of the RTI Act except when the information sought by an
applicant pertains to allegations of corruption or human rights violation.
Activist
Subhash Agrawal said since allegations of corruption have been levelled, the
information cannot be withheld under Section 24 (1) of the RTI Act.
"The
information sought in the point No 4 and 5 is not covered under section 24 (1)
of the RTI Act," Chief Information Commissioner R K Mathur said directing
a response to the query.
A single
judge bench of the Delhi High Court had in 2010 allowed Edward Keventer
(Successors) Private Ltd (EKSPL) use of 9.26-hectare (22.9 acres) dairy farm in
the vicinity of Rashtrapati Bhawan for residential purposes after depositing
conversion charges of Rs 1,200 crore with the government.
During the
hearing, the central government had opposed the conversion citing security
concerns and said the area in question comes within the vicinity of President's
Estate in Lutyens Bungalow Zone and involves security issues.
The Union
government had approached a division bench of the high court on the ground that
the security issue should have been weighed by the single judge bench of the
court but the same has been totally brushed aside.
The division
bench had said the Master Plan permits the use for residential areas and there
are many other residential premises in the said area.
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