The central government has refused to disclose information about the orders which stripped Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma off of his powers on October 23, 2018.
After the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday, January 8 that Verma’s removal was illegal, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in a statement that, “Government took the action of sending two senior officers of CBI on leave on CVC’s recommendation.”
Activist and co-convenor of National Campaign for People’s Right to Information, Anjali Bhardwaj filed an application with both the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), seeking records, file notings, correspondence and orders pertaining to the removal of the CBI chief.
Who was responsible for the illegal orders to remove CBI Chief? DoPT & CVC deny info under RTI on file notings & records related to removal of #AlokVerma. @BJP4India government must make info available. Public scrutiny key to insulate CBI from arbitrary govt control. pic.twitter.com/Dt4NnHCvWU
— Anjali Bhardwaj (@AnjaliB_) January 8, 2019
However, her request was denied citing sections 8 (1)(g) and (h) of the RTI Act (disclosure which would endanger life or physical safety, identify confidential source of information and would impede the process of investigation).
The DoPT said that all orders issued on October 23, 2017 were available on it’s website. However, the order pertaining to Alok Verma’s removal is not on the website.
“In a democracy, it is important to have transparency in the appointment and removal of key players in our institutions,” Bhardwaj told The Hindu. “Copies of correspondence and file notings would reveal important information which formed the basis of the decision to divest the CBI Director of his powers, but the government is denying it. It is also not sharing information on the process to appoint his successor,” she added.
Speaking to The Hindu, Bhardwaj said that upon retirement of the previous CBI director in December 2016, the government did not convene a meeting of the Selection Committee (comprising of the Chief Justice of India, Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister) to appoint his successor, as a result of which, Rakesh Asthana was directly named interim director. It was only after a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court that the meeting was convened and resulted in Verma’s appointment.
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