CIC orders disclosure of records on Agusta

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Defence Ministry to disclose some records related to Agusta Westland helicopter deal, including the opinion of the Attorney General on returning procured choppers and records related to court proceedings in Italy. The Commission has also sought that records related to the termination of the deal be presented before it in an in-camera proceeding for its perusal before deciding whether they can be disclosed under the RTI Act or attract exemption clauses. “The Commission will examine application of Section 8(1)(a) and (h) in claiming exemption from disclosure of files and documents by the CPIO. It will also take a decision, if required on applying severability clause under Section 10 of the RTI Act in respect to any portion of the document/files,” Information Commissioner Divya Prakash Sinha said.