NEW DELHI: The security apparatus and the retinue of the Prime Minister of India cannot be brought to the public domain for security reasons said indian air force (IAF) challenging an order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) in the Delhi High Court for its disclosure under the Right to Information Act (RTI).
The petition, filed by the IAF through its Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), sought to void an order dated July 8, 2020, approved by CIC in which it had ordered the CPIO to provide details of the flights. return specials-ll relevant to Commodore retd) Lokesh K Batra, who had sought the details through an RTI requester, within 15 days.
The IAF said the CIC has not taken into account that the information requested by the RTI applicant cannot be disclosed as it is extremely sensitive in nature and relates to Part II of the Special Flight Declarations. [SFR] and official records of operation and functioning of the security apparatus of the Prime Minister of India.
“The information sought includes details related to the entire entourage, names of Special protection group (SPG) accompanying the Prime Minister on trips abroad for his personal safety, and the same, if revealed, can potentially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, “he said. the declaration. .
He said that the CIC has committed a serious error of law and fact, since it ignored that the details of SPG have been explicitly exempted from the scope of the RTI Law. Therefore, the contested order is bad both in law and in fact and deserves to be annulled, he added.
“The CIC did not consider that the SPG was raised in 1985 with the intention of providing immediate security cover to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members. It was only after the murder of the former Prime Minister Late Indira Gandhi by his own bodyguards in 1984, a need arose for a specialized and dedicated force, “the statement said.
“The SPG has strict protocols regarding the security of the Prime Minister and even the details about the name and number of the SPG personnel involved in the personal security of the Prime Minister of India are not made public, as unfortunately there have been two previous prime ministers assassinated, “he added.
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