SC admits PIL on removal freedom fighter's plague

The SC admits a PIL filed by one Sanjiv Gajanan Punalekar seeking information about the circumstances leading to the controversial removal of a plaque, reports Satya Prakash.

The Supreme Court on Friday admitted a PIL filed by one Sanjiv Gajanan Punalekar seeking information about the circumstances leading to the controversial removal of a plaque containing verses of freedom fighter Vir Savarkar from Cellular Jail at Port Blair.

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He wanted he court to direct to the Centre that all trusts controlled by public servants be covered within the purview of the Right to Information Act-2005.

This follows denial of information on removal of the plaque from the Cellular Jain in 2004 by Indian Oil Foundation, a trust which was then headed by Mani Shankar Iyer in his capacity as Petroleum Minister.

A Bench of Chief Justice YK Sabharwal and Justice CK Thakker asked the Centre, Indian Oil Corporation and Indian Oil Foundation to respond to the petition within four weeks. It granted further four weeks to the petitioner to file his rejoinder.

If the Act was held to be not applicable in such cases then nothing would survive in the petition, and if it was held to be applicable then it was to be seen whether the information sought could be supplied in public interest, the Bench observed.

According to the petitioner, it was an insult to a great freedom fighter and being a citizen of this country he was fully entitled to know how and under what circumstances such incident took place.

Email Satya Prakash: satya.prakash@hindustantimes.com