Business Today: New Delhi: Thursday, February 08, 2018.
Ministry of
Finance told the Central Information Centre (CIC) that it does not have
information on Vijay Mallya's loans from different banks, following which it
was rebuked by the CIC. The CIC that handles complaints regarding Right to
Information cases told that ministry that this response was "vague and not
sustainable as per law".
It all began
when one Rajiv Kumar Khare filed an RTI seeking details of Mallya's loans. As
he did not receive a proper response, Khare appealed to the CIC.
Khare
revealed that the finance ministry told him that information about Mallya's
loans were exempted under RTI Act clauses related to personal safety and
prejudicial effect on the economic interest of the State. The ministry official
mentioned that Khare might, however, be able to find the same information from
the banks.
Chief
Information Commissioner RK Mathur said, "The respondent (the finance
ministry official) further stated that the said information was not available
with the ministry. He stated that the information sought by the appellant might
be available with the banks concerned or Reserve Bank of India," as
mentioned in a Times of India report.
The same
ministry had, however, answered questions about Mallya's loans in the
Parliament in the past. Union Minister of State for Finance Santosh Gangwar
responded to a query on Mallya's loans in March 2017 and stated that a loan was
given to him in September 2004, which was reviewed in February, 2008. He also
added that the Rs 8,040 crore loan was declared as a non-performing asset (NPA)
in 2009.
The Chief
Information Commissioner asked the ministry to transform Khare's application to
the public authority that has that information.
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