RAW chief appointment records: Govt to challenge CIC order

The government has decided to challenge in the Delhi high court a decision of the Central Information Commission allowing disclosure of records related to appointment of Research and Analysis Wing chief.

In a communication to RTI applicant Subhash Agrawal, the concerned official informed that it has been decided to file an appeal in the Delhi high court against the decision of Central Information Commission in this regard.

"The Department of Personnel and Training which is concerned with the matter, has been requested to take further necessary action," the communication read.

The Cabinet Secretariat in an RTI reply had said the documents cannot be made public as RAW is exempted from disclosures under the transparency law.

Activist Subhash Agrawal who had sought the information under the law approached the Central Information Commission when the higher authorities in the Secretariat failed to respond to his first appeal against the Central Public Information Officer.

During the hearing, the Cabinet Secretariat had claimed that directive have been issued for disclosure of information as desired information did not relate to exempted  organisation but to the manner in which the appointment was made to that organisation by the competent authority.

"Thus the appellate authority has clearly accepted that the desired information does not relate to the exempted organisation but to the Cabinet Secretariat," Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra said while disposing of the appeal.