In response to an RTI query in the matter, the ministry stated: "If this information is disclosed, it will have an impact on India’s sovereignty and integrity as also on the country’s security, and strategic, scientific and economic interests."
New Delhi: Last month, the Central Information Commission (CIC) had asked the Ministry of External Affairs to disclose the names of the government and private individuals who had accompanied Prime Minister Narendra Modi on foreign tours from 2014-15 onwards.
In violation of the CIC order, however, the ministry has refused to disclose the information sought by The Wire in an RTI filed in the matter on grounds of confidentiality.
The ministry has only provided information regarding the media persons who accompanied the prime minister abroad, which is already public knowledge. Not disclosing information despite the CIC order raises serious questions about the Modi government’s claims of creating a transparent and corruption-free system.
The foreign ministry’s deputy chief of protocol and public information officer Mayank Singh wrote in the reply, “The information sought is extremely sensitive. If this information is disclosed, it will have an impact on India’s sovereignty and integrity as also on the country’s security, and strategic, scientific and economic interests. Because of this, a person’s life and physical security can be put in danger. Therefore, this information cannot be disclosed under Section 8 (1)(a) and (c) of the RTI Act, 2005.”
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