The Hindu: Shimla: Friday, July
29, 2016.
Judge
dismisses plea of RTI activist seeking construction information.
In a relief
to Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Vadra, the Himachal
Pradesh High Court has ruled that she need not reveal land details or house
plans under any RTI query. Ms. Vadra is building a house at Chharabara in
Mashobara, about 13 km from Shimla.
Justice
Trilok Chauhan dismissed the application of RTI activist Debashish Bhatacharya
seeking information on Ms. Vandra land and called it misconceived. Ms. Vadra is
an SPG protectee.
Mr.
Bhatacharya had sought information from the State Information Commission
regarding the permission given to Ms. Vadra under Section 118 of the Himachal
Land Reform and Tenancy Act. The Information Commission had ordered the
district administration to provide the information under the RTI and had
ignored the stay given by the court. Later the Information Commissioners had to
seek an apology from the court after their order was declared as contempt of
court. Ms. Vadra moved the High Court against the orders of the Information
Commission.
In its
verdict, the court said the RTI activist had no requirement of the information
on the land records of Ms. Vadra in Mashobara.
Letter to
Rajnath
Last month,
former State BJP president and Shimla MLA Suresh Bhardwaj wrote a letter to
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking withdrawal of building permission to
Ms. Vadra, claiming the construction was in close proximity of the “Retreat”
(the Shimla summer residence of the President), citing security reasons.