New Delhi : Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA) and newly-formed NATGRID have joined the exclusive list of organizations that are exempted from sharing information under the RTI Act except for the matters pertaining to allegations of corruption and human rights violations.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved in June that these three organizations would be spared from sharing information under the second schedule of the RTI Act. However, they will have to share information in matters concerning allegations of corruption and human rights violations.
Intelligence and security organizations that come under this schedule include Intelligence Bureau, R&AW, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Aviation Research Centre, Narcotics Control Bureau and all the Central paramilitary forces.
Referring to the June notification, a CBI official said the agency was fully exempted from sharing information under Section 24 of the RTI Act.
The schedule, which is part of Section 24 of the RTI Act, says, “Nothing contained in this Act shall apply to the intelligence and security organizations specified in the Second Schedule, being organizations established by the central government or any information furnished by such organizations to that government provided that the information pertaining to the allegations of corruption and human rights violations shall not be excluded under this sub-section”.
