PMO

Through his RTI application dated January 31, 2021, S Y Savur had sought the copy of the report submitted by Mukherjee on December 19, 2008 for then Prime ...

[RTI](/topic/rti)a 14-year old report by a [Group of Ministers](/topic/group-of-ministers)led by former [External Affairs](/topic/external-affairs)Minister Pranab Mukherjee on pay and pension of armed forces personnel on grounds that it was "highly sensitive". There the disclosure is exempted under provisions of Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act," the CPIO response said. "Information sought by the applicant is highly sensitive. "In view of the foregoing discussion, the Commission hereby directs the respondent (PMO) to revisit the instant RTI application in light of the written submission of the appellant and furnish a revised reply upon exploring the possibility in terms of the RTI Act of dissemination of information by redacting information which is exempted from disclosure as provided by the Act," Chief Information Commissioner YK Sinha ordered. In his written submissions to the CIC, Savur said the denial of file noting of the PMO under Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act, 2005 is an "excessive step" aimed at denying information that would "neither affect the national security nor violate sovereignty" since the report has been "quoted at length" in the Cabinet Secretary reports of 2009 and 2012. The PMO had refused to disclose the report and other documents, calling the information as "highly sensitive" and invoking Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act to deny the disclosure.