CHRI Post of the Day - July 02, 2012

CHRI recently won a case before India’s Central Information Commission requiring the Department of Energy (DAE) to disclose a Cabinet Note attached to the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, 2011. CHRI had a sought copy of the Note approved by the Union Cabinet for tabling the Bill in Parliament. The DAE argued that the Cabinet Note could not be disclosed as the Bill had not been passed by Parliament yet. Conventionally, the views expressed by the Departments in a Cabinet Note are labeled secret and not disclosed to the public. The Commission frowned on this practice and ordered that the Cabinet Note be made public because the Bill had been tabled in Parliament and there was no public interest served by maintaining secrecy. CHRI had launched this strategic litigation to ascertain the views of various Departments involved in the consultation on the Bill. This Bill also seeks to amend the Right to Information Act to prevent certain classes of nuclear safety regulatory information from being disclosed to the public. Click here to read the Commission’s decision. Click here to read media coverage of this decision.

CHRI also assisted an RTI applicant to obtain access to documents relating to mercy petitions submitted by convicts sentenced to death. Click here to read the Commission’s decision. Click here to read media coverage of this decision.

Cabinet Note: News Coverage

1. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cabinet-notes-on-proposed-bills-should-be-made-public-CIC/articleshow/14420307.cms (TOI)
2. http://www.livemint.com/2012/06/26231156/CIC-calls-to-lift-veil-of-secr.html (Live Mint)
   
3. http://www.moneylife.in/article/make-public-cabinet-notes-related-to-proposed-bills-says-cic/26570.html (Money Life)
   
4. http://dailypioneer.com/nation/76122-disclose-cabinet-notes-on-proposed-bills-cic.html (PIoneer)
   
5. http://www.dnasyndication.com/showarticlerss.aspx?nid=g597MwllTEaYMqCh9yaqA6eTSKA8pLnjiRwCut8Jmeo= (DNA)
   
6. http://www.ptinews.com/news/2738422_Make-public-cabinet-notes-related-to-proposed-bills--CIC (PTI)
   
7. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3577644.ece (The Hindu)
   
8. http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/make-public-cabinet-notes-related-to-proposed-bills-cic/1016769.html (CNN-IBN)
   
9. http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/businessworld/content/Make-Public-Cabinet-Notes-Related-Proposed-Bills-CIC.html (Business World)
   
10. http://www.freedominfo.org/2012/06/indian-cic-elaborates-on-access-to-cabinet-papers/

Mercy petitions: News Coverage