PMO seeks dismissal of RTI appeal

The destruction of a government file, thirty years ago, on the mysterious death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is creating controversy.

The PMO has vehemently opposed before the Central Information Commission (CIC) an application seeking documents relating to destruction of a government file, thirty years ago, on the mysterious death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

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The PMO was responding to a notice isued by CIC on a plea of 'Mission Netaji' - a Delhi based organisation - seeking information concerning destruction of a file, which contained reports of investigation into the circumstances leading to Netaji's death.

The file was destroyed by the government in 1972.

Mission Netaji's official Anuj Dhar had moved the CIC in November last year, after the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of PMO denied papers pertaining to destruction of its file titled "investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of Sri Subhas Chandra Bose."

The CPIO had said that the file was destroyed in 1972 during the routine process of review and weeding of old records.

The CIC which has fixed August 10 this year for hearing the issue had called for PMO's comments.

Terming the application as "not maintainable," PMO's Director and CPIO Kamal Dayani in his response to the Commission, on May 17, has called for its dismissal and has suggested that an appeal, with its Appellate Authority, should first have been made.

Dhar, however, contended that the CPIO's response to him had lacked information on particulars of PMO's Appellate Authority, to whom an appeal could have been made.