Where was the TIME CAPSULE buried and by whom?
13 Mar, 2013Background
The appellant filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) seeking information regarding the Time Capsule which had been buried during the emergency. The Public Information Officer (PIO) informed that they did not have any information on the subject.
Proceedings
During the hearing before the Central Information Commission (CIC), the appellant wondered that the PMO should not have any information about this since it was that office which was involved in the entire project of preparing and burying the Time Capsule. The appellant also pointed out that several other ministries of the government had pleaded complete ignorance about this. The respondent submitted that they did not know which other public authority would have any such information. The appellant submitted that in the newspaper it had been reported that the Time Capsule had been conceptualized by the then PMO and it had been buried in the Red Fort.
View of CIC
The Commission directed the PIO, PMO to make a renewed search for any available records on this subject and take up the matter with the National Archives and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and find out if either of those have any reference or record on this and provide the copies of the entire records to the appellant including the file noting.
Comments
One really feels pity at the condition of the PIO’s facing such queries. The officer’s had to attend the hearing which is at the cost of the tax payer’s money.
Citation: Ms. Madhu Purnima Kishwar v. Prime Minister’s Office in File No. CIC/SM/A/2012/001319
RTI Citation : RTIFI/2013/CIC/1118
Click here to view original RTI order of Court / Information Commission