High Court stays Cabinet decision exempting inquiries against ministers and officials from disclosure

Thiruvananthapuram:  The High Court of Kerala has stayed the government decision to exempt the top secret section of the Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau from disclosing details about inquiries into allegations against present and past ministers, legislators and all India service officers under Right to Information Act.

The stay will be operational until further orders.

The Court observed that there was specific provision in the Act that says that information about human rights violations and corruption could not be exempted from disclosure. So, the notification was, prima facie, invalid.

The Government told the Court that Cabinet had decided to withdraw the exemption granted. The file had been sent to the Law Secretary by the Home Secretary before issuing necessary orders. The Court asked how the delay was justified when other decisions could be canceled in two days.

The Indian Association of Lawyers and Aam Aadmi Party are the petitioners in the case that challenges the notification issued in January this year.