CBI refuses to share info on graft PEs closed by it

Pursuant to its new policy of stonewalling probing questions, CBI has gone a step ahead refusing to respond to RTI applications seeking information on closed preliminary enquiries on graft which are part of its public annual reports and have no bearing on any probe.

CBI, exempted from provisions under Right to Information Act, is under statutory obligation to respond to RTI pleas seeking the information (any material in any form held by or under the control of the public authority) related to “allegations” of corruption and human rights violation.

The information seeker had sought records of all the preliminary enquiries (PEs) on corruption closed by the agency during past one year but the two anti-corruption units of the agency returned the applications saying the agency is exempted from the RTI Act. The rejection of the RTI petitions seems to be extension of the reported media policy adopted by new Director R S Bhatti, in-charge of media relations, of not responding to any probing from the media.