No count of corruption cases against officers of CPOs: MHA

New Delhi, Dec 9, 2008: Believe it or not! The Union Home
Ministry says it does not maintain a count of corruption cases
against officers from different Central Police Organisations
(CPOs) and Intelligence Bureau under its control.
This admission came in reply to an RTI query, which
sought the information on the number of corruption complaints
received against officers of Border Security Force, Central
Reserve Police Force, National Security Guard, Assam Rifles,
Sashastra Seema Bal and IB during last five years.
The ministry said it attended to the complaints on a
"case-to-case" basis and decisions were taken at various
levels.
"Depending on the nature of the complaint and the rank of
the officer against whom allegations are made, decisions are
taken and processed at various levels. This ministry does not
maintain a count of complaints received at various levels," it
said.
When contacted, Director (Personnel) and CPIO Barun
Kumar Sahu said he could not share more information on the
reply.
The ministry cited sections 2(f) and 2 (j) of Right to
Information Act and said the information sought by the
applicant "is beyond information" and "require huge work and
resources not envisaged under RTI Act".
According to Section 2 (f) of the Act, information has
been defined as any material in any form including records,
documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices and press
releases.
It also incorporates circulars, orders, logbooks,
contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material
held in any electronic form and information relating to any
private body which can be accessed by a public authority under
any other law in force.
Under section 2 (j) of the Act, the information seeker has
the rights to inspect works, documents, records, take notes,
extracts or certified copies of documents or records, take
certified samples of material, obtain information in form of
printouts, diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in
any other electronic mode or through printouts.
"Both sections, nowhere, means denial of information as
apparently done by the ministry," Rakesh Agrawal, General
Secretary Nyayabhoomi and a known RTI activist, said.
"Both the sections define the types of information that
can be obtained through the RTI Act. The ministry is the
authority to reveal such information," he said.