100 RTI pleas? Gujarat govt "evades" revealing Rs 1 lakh crore scam inquiry report, prepared in public interest

Suresh Mehta

By Our Representative
The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC), the state watchdog for right to information (RTI), has told the legal department of the Government of Gujarat must not lie, but admit, without mincing words, that a crucial report containing inquiry into 14 cases of corruption against the erstwhile Narendra Modi administration, is lying with it.
The order is based on a legal department government resolution (GR) dated August 16, 2011, which had, “in the public interest, people in Gujarat must know whether there is any substance in the allegations, particularly at the time when a strong public opinion is building across the country against corruption in public life.”
Modi set up the inquiry commission in August 2011 following Congress allegations, listing 14 corruption charges under Modi government, valuing above Rs 1 lakh crore, only to declare that “nothing has been found” against it. However, neither the administration under him, nor his successors, have made the report public.
The two-page closely-typed GIC order, signed by information commissioner RR Varsani, comes following the refusal of the legal department – prepared by Justice (retired) MB Shah – to admit that it had the report, allegedly to evade demands to make it public under RTI.
Seeking disclosure of the report under RTI for the last four years, former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta, 80, told Counterview that he and his supporters must have made at least 100 RTI applications to get the MB Shah Commission report submitted to the Gujarat government in 2014.
“Let alone the report, for four long years they have even refused to reveal which department has got it”, Mehta said. It is well known that in 2012, a day after of the announcement of code of conduct for the December assembly polls, Cabinet spokesperson Jay Narayan Vyas told the media that the report had been “submitted” and there is no iota of truth in what the Congress had alleged.
“Ever since then, I tried to get the report, but I would get strange answers: The legal department would tell me the report is with the general administration department (GAD), while the GAD would tell me it was the property of the legal department”, he said.
He added, “Worse, speaking inside the assembly, then No 2 in the Cabinet, Anandiben Patel, had said the MB Shah commission report was with the governor, while an RTI plea with the Raj Bhawan said it didn't have it.”
Mehta made his last plea on October 29, 2014, when, again, the legal department said it “did not have” the report, forwarding the application to the GAD, which looks after personnel issues. In his appeal to the legal department's public authority on November 7, 2014, Mehta was again told that it didn't have the report, and that it is “lying with the GAD.”
This made the ex-chief minister approach the Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) on April 6, 2015. Nearly one-and-a-half years later, on September 6, 2016, the GIC called for a hearing on Mehta's application in the presence of the public information officer, legal department, who again repeated that the report was not with it.
The GIC order asked the legal department to just authenticate the matter “in 20 days”. Mehta told Counterview, “Even after 20 days, the legal department has not approached me to tell me that it has got the report.”
During the arguments at GIC, Mehta argued that it is “wrong to say the Shah Commission report belongs to the GAD” hence it could not give it. Referring to a GAD reply to the RTI application moved by a senior activist, Pankti Jog, dated November 6, 2012, which said that the Shah Commission report wuld have to be placed in the state assembly within six months after its “final report” is submitted, Mehta said, the final report was submitted on November 6, 2013.
While nearly three years have passed for the report to be placed in the assembly, Mehta said during the argument, as quoted by the GIC order dated September 9, 2016, that “there is no such provision in law that the report would be made public only after it is placed in the Gujarat state assembly.”

Comments

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani* India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor* Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas* November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad* On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad* The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor* Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor* Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.

Search This Blog