Disclose why sanction for prosecution was changed: CIC to Rlys

The Central Information Commission has directed Railways to disclose file notings related to change in the opinion of senior official granting sanction for referring two cases against him to Central Vigilance Commission.
P K Sanghi, the then General Manager of Railway Recruitment Board posted at RailCoachFactory, Kapurthala, had been seeking records related sanction give by Member (Electrical) Railway Board to hand over two cases against him to CVC.
He also sought to know whetherthe opinion in prosecution sanction of Member (Electrical) was sought once or twice besides copy of records.
Indian Railways said the respondent stated that Sangi had requested before the trial court for copies of such documents but the trial court refused to provide the same to the appellant.

"Inthefirstinstance,theMember (Electrical) Railway Board had not agreed for grant of prosecution. However, in the second instance, he agreed to the sanction for prosecution. Since there is a difference in the stand of the Member (Electrical), Railway Board, the appellant feels that he would like to know what transpired to cause such change in the opinion," Chief Information Commissioner R K Mathur noted.
Mathur said in the case, a charge sheet has been filed already and hence it is presumed that investigation cannot be impacted now.
"Railways did not raise any issues regarding influencing of apprehension or prosecution by the appellant. As such there appears to be no legal bar to furnish this information," Mathur ordered.

He directed Railways to provide information after redacting names of officers who wrote the notes or made entries in the files concerned.