PMO U-turn on RTI,won’t reveal ministers’ assets

Worse still,the PMO is alleged to have done a virtual U-turn while acting on a Right to Information (RTI) query by initially forwarding the information on the ministers’ “updated assets till May 14,2008”,but later backtracking on its response claiming RTI exemption for “documents held in fiduciary relationship” — a star argument earlier made by the Supreme Court for refusing to comply with RTI.

The turn of events came on an RTI petition filed by Subhash Agarwal,a textile businessman from Delhi,on April 28 last year to the Cabinet Secretariat,seeking details of “assets,wealth,income with Union ministers,spouses and their dependent children for the last two years or as is available”. The Cabinet Secretariat forwarded the request to the PMO on May 5 stating that the information sought was “more closely connected with the functions” of the latter public authority.

“The PMO had reacted by sending an office memo to the Secretariat on May 19,enclosing an updated list of assets enjoyed by Union ministers till May 14,2008,” Agarwal said.

Receiving no communication for the next five months,Agarwal decided to follow up his request by shooting off a letter to the Secretariat on October 4. “The letter was plainly ignored,” he claimed.

On December 17,the PMO told Agrawal that the information sought could not be provided as it was exempt under the RTI Act provisions. The office sought exemption claiming immunity granted to “documents held in fiduciary relationship” and “Cabinet documents”,respectively.

“I sent an e-mail to CIC Wajahat Habibullah on January 30,2009,requesting him to take up the matter,especially the reason behind the U-turn made by the PMO,on an urgent basis,” the RTI applicant said.