Files of Ranganath panel report must be in public: CIC

Files relating to the government's action on the Ranganath Misra Commission report which seeks to extend Scheduled Caste status to Dalit Muslims and Christians will now be in public domain as the Central Information Commission (CIC) has allowed their inspection.

The case pertains to an RTI application by Franklin Caesar Thomas who sought inspection of "entire files" dealing with action, if any, of the report of National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities headed by Justice Misra with special reference to the extension of SC status to Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians.

In the initial reply received in 2008, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) refused to grant the permission to allow inspection of files related to the Commission, which was set in October 2004, saying, "Papers for the Cabinet before the Cabinet decision are exempted from disclosure under the provisions of 8 (1)(i) of the Right to Information Act, 2005."

It, however, agreed to allow the inspection just before the matter came for hearing before the CIC yesterday.

"The file in this matter being with the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the PMO having no objection to the inspection of the file notings...Ministry of Minority Affairs will now make the relevant file available for inspection by Mr Thomas on a date and time convenient to both," Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said.