I am an optimist. But not an idiot.
I correctly predicted the CIC's textbook authoritarian response.
A response that does not possess even a whiff of the RTI Act 2005.
A response that is analogous to the CBIs exemplary indulgence of the heinous.
A Matter Of My Life And Liberty. File No. CIC/WB/C/2007/000653 Notice to PMO dtd April 16 2009
from divakar snatarajan
to pkp.shreyaskar@nic.in
cc whabibullah@nic.in
date Sat, Apr 25, 2009 at 1:42 PM
subject A Matter Of My Life And Liberty. File No. CIC/WB/C/2007/000653 Notice to PMO dtd April 16 2009
mailed-by gmail.com
Pankaj P Shreyaskar
Deputy Secretary & Joint Registrar
Central Information Commission
New Delhi.
PMO's Forced, Belated and Lame Response.
Sir,
Your notice has forced the PMO to come up with a response,nearly two years after my application.
It is noticeable that the PMO is unwilling to step out of its nest of denial (of information) which is built out twigs of fragile rationalisations.
As I have observed in my email to you of Mon Jan 21,2008 titled Release My Life And Liberty,
"the delinquency of the PMO is clearly not a minor glitch, but a deliberate and dastardly campaign of silence that is threatening and torturous to me."
To a trained eye, it is obvious that the PMO is looking for some outside help to bale it out of this mess.
Going by the performance of the CIC in my case this far, the PMOs fervent prayers will probably find a torrent of sweet sympathy at your office.
As The Hindu, most delicately observed in an editorial comment on the aftermath of the shoe thrown at Home Minister incident, "our institutions generally exhibit an establishment bias." Or words to that effect.*
I have already replied in detail, in my appeal to Ms Vini Mahajan, Appellate Authority, (email of August 14,2007, Don't Let The RTI Down. Administer RTI in the right spirit.)to PMO's weird contention that emails "not readily traceable due to data pertaining to that period is no longer available in our computers"
The PMOs contention that applicant has "now" filed an second appeal, merely shows that time has a way of congealing in the PMO.
My urgent appeal to the CIC is dated October 12, 2007.
The PMO has in its arbitrary, self serving fashion decided that emails referred to in the application were personal communications.
My observation in my emails that the PMOs silence was "morally bankrupt" does not make them personal communications.
Quite the contrary, the stubborn delinquency of a PMO that publicly takes great credit for the RTI Act 2005, is a matter of considerable public interest.
My correspondence contains appeals from the former Home minister to the former Prime Minister, Padma Vibhushan Kaloji Narayana Rao to the former PM, Appeal from eminent filmmakers to the former PM and Dr Baru's published review of my documentary.
The context for the above are publicly described in my blog http:// sathyagraha.blogspot.com especially Divakar S Natarajan and Varun Gandhi Cannot Both Be Wrong.
So the PMOs contention regarding so called private correspondence is nothing but thinly veiled bragging of over weening authoritarianism, perversity and vindictiveness.
Once again the PMO admits to have misplaced the first appeal.
Why did it not occur to the PMO to write to me to reassure me about their competence and sincerity and request another copy?
It is truly intriguing that the PMO appears to find it so much easier to blandly confess to the CIC regarding its serial incompetence and delinquency !
Sincerely,
Divakar S Natarajan
*"The Indian experience is that law enforcers and investigating agencies almost invariably incline towards the ruling establishment."
Exorcising 1984.The Hindu April 13, 2009
India's editorial class of course is as pure as Bislerijal !
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