Civil society objects to keeping CBI out of RTI

The Congress-led government last week exempted CBI from providing information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The move has not gone down well with civil society activists who are not only terming the move as “illegal” but are also thinking of challenging it.

“It is not only wrong but also illegal. It’s written in the RTI act that only intelligence or security agencies can be exempted but CBI is neither of that. CBI is a kind of police force. We are thinking of challenging it,” Shekhar Singh of National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI) told DNA.

NCPRI was instrumental in the act’s formulation. Singh said: “The RTI Act already has provisions of exempting information which can pose problem in investigation or creates problem for CBI’s source. So this step is totally wrong.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who is already part of the Lokpal bill movement, also criticized the move.

“The move is a retrograde step. It seems the step is taken to stop sensitive information coming out about important cases handled by CBI where investigation has been completed. The act already has provisions for exempting information if its disclosure impedes investigation,” Bhushan told DNA.