Justify denial of info: CIC to CBI
NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to provide a justification for denial of information on the ground that the disclosure might impede an ongoing investigation or the prosecution of an accused and not merely cite the relevant clause in its RTI response.
Information Commissioner Vanaja N Sarna directed the CBI to provide a cogent explanation while citing the exemption clause — Section 8(1) (h) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act — on how disclosure of the information would adversely affect an investigation or prosecution.
The CBI, in a number of cases, has denied the information by merely citing the section, without giving any justification how disclosure of the information would impede its investigation or prosecution.