LawMin favours PMO officials’ protection

The Law Ministry has favoured providing safeguards for PMO officials to insulate them from questioning on sensitive issue, and the suggestion seems to have found support of some members of a Parliamentary panel. The Ministry told the committee on Lokpal Bill that there was a need to change the draft to protect officials of PMO from being questioned on sensitive issues. Asked whether the protection provided to the PM in the present bill on issues like national security, nuclear energy and public order covers his officials, the Ministry said, ‘It applies to PM in person. The secretariat will be exposed for that thing...’ Some panel members questioned that while the PM himself cannot be questioned on national security by the Lokpal, can his Principal Secretary be called to make disclosures, Ministry officials said that in such a scenario the provision needs modification.