HC stays order to disclose info on tenure extn of LS secy general in 2011

The Delhi High Court on Monday put on hold its single judge's order directing the Lok Sabha Secretariat to disclose information on extension of tenure of secretary general of the Lower House in 2011.

While staying the July 2 order, a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar also issued notice to the RTI applicant, who had sought the information, asking him to file his response by February 3, the next date of hearing.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat, represented by advocate Rajshekhar Rao, has challenged the single judge's ruling that information on extension of tenure of secretary general of Lok Sabha was not exempted under the RTI Act as it was granted by the speaker of the House.

The single judge had on July 2 said that parliamentary privilege was not a "catch-all phrase" to claim blanket protection from disclosure of information that is connected with a legislative body.

The judge had directed the LS Secretariat to give the information to RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agarwal on queries relating to the extension of tenure of the then secretary general of the Lok Sabha in 2011.

The information was earlier denied to the RTI applicant on the ground that it would amount to 'breach of privilege' of Parliament and the information was exempted under section 8(1)(c) of the Right to Information Act.

He had sought complete and detailed information with related correspondence or file-noting on action taken on a letter of then Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj written to the then speaker of Lok Sabha Meira Kumar against granting an extension of one year to Secretary General of the House T K Vishwanathan.