Delhi HC orders for disclosure of information about land use
6 Dec, 2014Edward Keventer (Successors) Ltd., a subsidiary of the DLF group had acquired a 22 The provisions of this Act shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in the Official Secrets Act, 1923 (19 of 1923), and any other law for the time being in force or in any instrument having effect by virtue of any law other than this Act. acre plot – meant for a dairy farm – in the diplomatic enclave at Sardar Patel Marg near Rashtrapati Bhavan at New Delhi. Clearance was granted to construct a multi-storey residential building on the plot despite security concerns raised by the IB, the PMO and the officials of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Subhash Aggarwal had filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking the file notings of the Urban Development Ministry on the decision to change the land use. Information was also sought about the environmental standards, carrying capacities and impact assessment that such land use change would entail, along with urban planning and zoning issues.
The matter came up before the Central Information Commission (CIC) which directed to provide the information on the ground that the disclosure of the information was in public interest. The DLF subsidiary approached the High Court alleging that proper procedures had not been followed and obtained a stay on the CIC order. The Delhi High Court has now dismissed the objections the raised against release of information regarding change in land use.