HC order to make public Goa governor's report to Centre stayed

The Supreme Court Thursday stayed the Bombay High Court order asking the Goa Raj Bhawan to make public the Governor's report to the Centre on political situation of the state during July-August 2007.While staying the high court direction to make public the report under the Right to Information Act, a bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari also halted further proceedings in the high court on the case in which the Governor's office has been declared to be under the ambit of transparency law.The court passed the order on an appeal filed by Goa government challenging the high court's decision and contending that the Governor's office does not fall under the purview of the RTI Act and the confidential report to the Centre cannot be made public.While staying the order, the apex court bench, also comprising justices T S Thakur and Dipak Misra, said the state has raised an important question of law, which needs to be "examined".The Goa government has challenged the decision saying the Governor was not a public authority under the RTI Act as he was the formal and constitutional head of the government.The case began with BJP leader Manohar Parrikar seeking from the Goa Raj Bhawan under the RTI Act a copy of the Governor's report to the Union Home Minister on the political situation in the state during July 24-August 14, 2007.