PM-Tharoor meeting details refused under RTI

The Prime Minister's Office has refused to make public details of the meetings Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had with Shashi Tharoor just before the latter's resignation as minister of state for external affairs at the height of the Indian Premier League controversy in April, citing exemption in matters of national security and "confidential" third party information.

The PMO, after taking the views of the external affairs ministry, said details of meetings where matters relating to the country's sovereignty and integrity, its security, strategic, scientific, or economic interests and relations with foreign States are discussed cannot be given under the Right to Information Act.

It also said that details of meetings where "confidential third party information" is discussed cannot be given under the transparency law.

The 54-year-old Tharoor resigned on April 18 after then IPL commissioner Lalit Modi revealed that the Thiruvananthapuram member of Parliament's friend Sunanda Pushkar had an equity stake in Rendezvous Sports World, heading the consortium that owns the Kochi team.

The issue erupted as a major controversy after Opposition parties made a strong demand for his removal on the ground that he misused office for pecuniary gain.

The prime minister called the diplomat-turned-minister on more than a couple of occasions before the latter tendered his resignation on the night of April 18.

RTI applicant Abhishek Shukla had sought the minutes of the meetings between the two leaders between April 17-19 from the PMO. The application was transferred to the external affairs ministry by the PMO.

'The office (MEA) has invoked exemption from disclosure of details of the PM's appointments under Section 8 of the Act as this includes all such meetings where issues discussed may, inter alia, include matters relating to sovereignty and the integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific, or economic interests of the State and relations with foreign States as well as confidential third party information,' the central public information officer of the PMO said.

CPIO Sanjukta Ray wrote, 'After due consideration, I am satisfied with the view taken by the office that the information sought is exempted from disclosure in terms of the provisions of section 8(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.'