The Central Information Commission has directed the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to disclose complaints of corruption received against Union Ministers between 2014 and 2017 and the action taken on them.
Chief Information Commissioner Radha Krishna Mathur, while considering a plea of Indian Forest Service officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, also directed the PMO to share information on the quantum and value of black money brought back from abroad during the tenure of the BJP-led government at the Centre, along with records of efforts made in this direction. The order asked the PMO to disclose information related to deposits made by the government in bank accounts of Indian citizens from the black money brought from abroad.
RTI application
The Prime Minister’s Office had termed the questions asked by Mr. Chaturvedi, in his RTI application related to black money, as not covered in the definition of “information” that can be accessed under the Right to Information Act, but Mr. Mathur rejected the contention.
“The commission further observed that the respondent has not given correct and specific reply/information to the appellant on point numbers 1(b) (corruption complaints against ministers), 4, 5, 12 & 13 (related to corruption in AIIMS) of the RTI application,” Mr. Mathur noted.
Mr. Chaturvedi has earlier served as Chief Vigilance Officer of AIIMS.
