NEW DELHI:
Taking the line adopted by the previous Congress-led UPA Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Office has refused to disclose records related to Subhash Chandra Bose’s death as it rejected the argument that there was a larger public interest involved in making them public.
The Right to Information Act allows for a public authority to disclose records which are otherwise exempt from disclosure if public interest outweighs the harm protected.
Activist Subhash Agrawal had sought from the Prime Minister’s Office the records related to the freedom fighter and leader of the Indian National Army to clarify the mystery surrounding his alleged death in a plane crash 70 years back.
Agrawal had also asked for information of the steps taken by the top office to make such records public and the action taken on requests seeking such documents.
But toeing the line of the UPA Government, the PMO had cited an exemption clause in the RTI Act which allows withholdnig of information that could prejudicially affect relations with a foreign country. The PMO, however, did not even give the names of the countries with which the relations may get affected once the said information is made public. (AGENCIES)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel