CIC tells PMO to hand over files on Netaji

August, 2007 12:56 IST
The Central Information Commission has directed the Prime Minister's Office to disclose copies of documents relating to the destruction of a file on the probe into the death of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
The order came on a Right to Information application filed by Delhi resident Anuj Dhar, seeking copies of papers concerning the destruction, in 1972, of a PMO file titled 'Investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of Sri Subhas Chandra Bose'.
Dhar, an official of Mission Netaji -- a capital-based organisation -- had sought certified copies of documents pertaining to he destruction of the file which took place while a judicial inquiry on Netaji was on.
Taking note of two files which had reference to the destruction of the file, as produced by the PMO during the hearing, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah directed the Prime Minister's Office to provide its copies to Dhar within a week.
Dhar, while contending that there were "clearly" copies of documents relating to the file's destruction, had submitted
before the CIC various letters on Netaji's disappearance that were made available by the PMO to the Justice Mukherjee inquiry commission.
Earlier, the Central Public Information Officer of PMO, in response to Dhar's RTI plea had stated that the file was destroyed in 1972 during "routine process of review/weeding of old records".
Dhar's application, which was originally filed with the Cabinet Secretariat on August 2 last year, was transferred to
the PMO.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/14netaji.htm