Secret service

A large corporate group was contesting an appeal under the Right to Information (RTI) Act before the Central Information Commission (CIC) in Delhi. The appellant who was seeking information from the group made a passing reference to media people being present at the hearing. At this, a senior lawyer, son of a former Union minister, representing the corporate group, expressed his reservations about the journalists being there by saying he was about to present some sensitive details. Even as he was alluding to the removal of journalists from the room, the appellant and another RTI activist protested strongly. They accused the lawyer of blaspheming the "temple of transparency" and started quoting Supreme Court judgments upholding a citizen's right to be present at the court hearings. Sensing that the issue could flare up, the chief information commissioner steered clear saying, "It is good we had this discussion. Now let us move on with the arguments." The corporate lawyer then went on to read out a much-circulated public court document, leaving the lip-smacking journalists wondering what the fuss was about.