I/II. http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mea-turns-down-rti-query-on-lalit-modi-s-passport/article1-1363877.aspx
Sushma Swaraj's MEA turns down RTI query on Lalit Modi’s passport HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi| Updated: Jun 29, 2015 10:06 IST The ministry of external affairs (MEA) has declined to provide information to an RTI plea containing queries on aspects related to the controversy over restoration of the passport of Indian Premier League (IPL)’s former boss Lalit Modi. Responding to an RTI plea containing seven questions, the MEA said while a part of the queries did not come under the purview of the transparency law and regarding others it pleaded lack of information. The questions included one about who took the decision on not appealing in the Supreme Court, the Delhi high court’s 2014 decision restoring Modi’s passport in 2010. “The office of external affairs minister (EAM) has informed that the questions in Serial 1 to 3 of your RTI do not seem to fall under the purview of the RTI act, 2005. As regards to queries serial no. 4 to 7, no information is available with EAM’s office,” the MEA said in its reply dated June 26 to the applicant from Haryana. The MEA said the application has been “transferred” to its Consular, Passport and Visa Division, the finance ministry and the home ministry. The MEA's action drew stinging criticism from the opposition, with Congress calling it against the "spirit" of RTI ACT and CPI(M) alleging the transparency law has been "sabotaged" by the Modi government. "This is against the spirit of the RTI ACT," said senior Congress leader PC Chacko. "In fact, any private information need not be disclosed but here is a case which is affecting even the security of the country also and person who is fugitive, who is an absconder, against whom there is an inquiry going on... and when information is sought on that, it simply cannot be treated as a private matter," Chacko said. CPI(M)'s Brinda Karat said it was "more than just stonewalling". "It's a shame that the RTI Act which provides a framework for some amount of transparency in governance has been completely diluted and sabotaged by the Modi government. "So the government which came under claim of transparency and good governance is sabotaging the initiatives. Now they say they do not have the information....makes a mockery of the act itself and the law for transparency," she said. BJP, however, made a cautious defence of the MEA move with party spokesperson Nalin Kohli saying,"There is a process about RTI and there are certain rules about it and these rules are followed. If it is about specifics, the concerned officers would be the right place to ask." Reacting to the MEA blocking RTI reply, AAP leader Ashish Khetan said "What we are seeing today is a government and politics without accountability and zero transparency in the era of Amit Shah and Narendra Modi." The first three questions included why Swaraj did not advise Modi to apply for a temporary travel document to the Indian high commission in London instead if she intended to help him on humanitarian grounds to travel to Portugal. It also asked why the external affairs minister did not insist on Modi's return to India as a condition for issuing a temporary Indian travel document. The questions from Sl no 4 to 7 included a query on whether the government has lodged any objections to UK for granting residency permit to Modi, who has refused to appear before the Enforcement Directorate, and what steps the government has taken since the issuance of fresh passport to the former IPL boss to enforce the ED summons. It also included a query on who took the decision not to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against Delhi high court's ruling setting aside cancellation of Modi's passport. It asked whether the ED, at whose instance the passport was cancelled, was consulted on the issue. The RTI application also asked about government's response to Modi's "wild charge that his life will be in danger if he returned to India." (With inputs from PTI) II. http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/MEA-Refuses-to-Answer-RTI-Query-on-Lalit-Modis-Travel-Papers/2015/06/28/article2889851.ece MEA Refuses to Answer RTI Query on Lalit Modi's Travel Papers By Devirupa Mitra | ENS Published: 28th June 2015 12:53 AM Last Updated: 28th June 2015 01:17 AM NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs has refused to answer an RTI query on the issue of facilitating UK travel documents for former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi – claim that some queries didn’t fall within the ambit of the legislation, while "no information was available" for the rest with the office of the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Interestingly, the questions to the RTI were the exact seven queries posed by former finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram at a press conference in Chennai on June 18. The RTI application was filed online on the same day. The ministry gave a response within eight days. “Kindly note that the office of External Affairs minister (EAM) has informed that the questions in Serial 1 to 3 of your RTI does not seem to fall under the purview of the RTI act, 2005,” said the reply of MEA in its letter dated June 26. The three questions were on why Sushma Swaraj had not advised Lalit Modi to apply for an Indian travel document to go to Portugal, and not facilitate an UK travel document. It also asked why Swaraj did not insist on Modi’s return to India as a condition for issuing a temporary Indian travel document? Further, it queried why the government was not releasing the letters exchanged between the Indian finance minister and UK chancellor of exchequer George Osborne. For the last four questions, MEA said, “no information was available with the MEA’s office”. In its reply, MEA also said that it was transferring the RTI application to the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Home Affairs and MEA’s own Consular, Passport and Visa division to give their individual responses with regard to the four queries. Again, all the four questions were in the same language used by Chidambaram, which asked for proof and file notings on the subject of the ministry not moving the Supreme Court after the Delhi high court revoked the cancellation of Modi’s passport. The questions also related to whether India ever objected to the grant of a long term visa or residency permit to Lalit Modi, who has appeared before the ED. Incidentally, while the EAM’s office may not have said it doesn’t have information on this aspect, the government of India, during UPA, had told UK that providing any travel documents to Modi would be inimical to bilateral relations. This ‘veto’ was removed by Swaraj when she spoke personally to the UK high commissioner to India, James Bevan in July last year. The last two questions was on the government’s position on Lalit Modi’s claim that his life was in danger in India, as well as whether the NDA government has taken any steps after the issue of fresh passport to “enforce the summons issues by the ED”. Express contacted the applicant of the RTI query, who readily admitted that the questions were copied as he wanted to hear the government’s answer. The RTI applicant did not want to be identified, stating that he was not an activist or aligned to any party, but only a “citizen of India”. While the MEA’s RTI reply had been posted on the website, the letter had yet to reach the applicant, who was surprised to hear that the ministry had already responded. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
