People have right to know about bureaucratic roadblocks, says CIC

Asserting that people have a right to information about obstructions to political executive and bureaucratic machinery and their working, CIC has held that such records must be disclosed even if they attract exemption clauses because of larger public interests.

In a terse order, Central Information Commission has ordered the Centre to disclose communication exchanged between the PMO and DoPT on Haryana whistleblower Indian Forest Service officer <g data-gr-id="10">Sajiv</g> Chaturvedi who has allegedly been harassed by different governments.

Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu rejected the contention of Ministry of Environment and Forests, that it was a personal information exempted from disclosure under the RTI Act, after speaking to Chaturvedi over phone who said he did not have objections to the disclosure of records. "The request...clearly pertains to the public activity of the public servant working at <g data-gr-id="14">top</g> level of government and the matter relates to his performance of duty," Acharyulu noted.