CPIO told to furnish Vyapam info, documents sought under RTI

After "initially" denying information related to Vyapam scam under Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Prime Minister Office has now directed its Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) to handover the desired documents sought by activist Ajay Dube after thorough examination.

In a letter dated October 16, 2015 to the RTI activist Prime Minister Office Director and Appellate Authority, Syed Iqram Rizvi has directed "CPIO to provide desired information to the applicant after examining documents thoroughly."

Dube had sought information from the PMO under RTI on the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh and other senior party leaders on the Vyapam scam on March 18, 2015.

"Through RTI on August 8, 2015, I had requested the PMO to provide information related to memorandum including documents, excel sheet and pen drive submitted by Singh to Modi on the issue of irregularities in the Vyapam scam," Dube said.

He said that initially the application was rejected on the ground that it was not possible to provide desired information under section 7(9) of RTI Act, 2005 as it will lead to disturbing office resources.

The PMO had also directed to seek specific information regarding documents which were required by the applicant.

However, Dube filed an appeal on September 1, 2015 in the matter and requested for personal hearing on the issue following which a telephonic conference took place between the applicant and the Appellate Authority on October 12, 2015.

After that, the Appellate Officer said, "the desired information was specifically confined to the letter given on March 18, 2015. Therefore, it was wrong to say that it cannot be provided to the applicant under section 7(9) of the RTI Act."

(Now) The CPIO has been directed to provide desired information to the applicant after examining relevant documents within a definite time frame, the letter stated.

Earlier, after meeting Narendra Modi on March 18, a delegation of Congress leaders had said that they have sought the Centre's intervention in the Vyapam scam case in Madhya Pradesh (now being probed by CBI), claiming that of having submitted "solid evidence" showing Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's involvement in it.