New Delhi, November 06: The CIC on Friday reserved its decision regarding the disclosure, under the RTI Act, of a letter written by former chief election commissioner R Gopalaswami to the President about the incumbent Naveen Chawla.
President’s Secretariat had refused to give copy of the letter which had hogged limelight as it was alleged that Gopalaswami had recommended to the President for Chawla’s removal from office for alleged “partisan” functioning.
RTI activist S C Agrawal had sought the copy of Gopalaswami’s letter which was rejected by the President’s Secretariat saying its disclosure would be an invasion of privacy and had invoked the related Clause Section 8 (1) (e) of the RTI to deny the same.
Agrawal argued that contents of the letter were already in the media and hence there was no reason to claim ‘invasion of privacy’.
Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah reserved his decision saying there was a detailed order of Delhi High Court in matter of invasion of privacy and the present case needs to be studied in its light.
The Section allows withholding information if it is available to a person in one’s fiduciary relationship, unless the competent authority is satisfied that the larger public interest warrants the disclosure of such information.
–Agencies