The Indian Consulate in Sydney has refused to make public records related to alleged fake passport issued to Chhota Rajan which enabled his stay in Australia, citing four exemption clauses from the RTI Act without giving any reason to substantiate them.

Venkatesh Nayak of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative had sought from the Indian High Commission in Australia details of the passport issued to Rajan on the basis of forged identity.

The application was forwarded to the mission in Sydney where the travel document was issued to Rajan.

The Mission refused to divulge the details citing Sections 8(1)(a), (e), (g) and (h) of the RTI Act.

“… The First Appellate Authority has sent the email that the CPIO rejected my RTI application under Sections 8A, 8E, 8G and 8H. There is no attachment or email form the CPIO that was supposedly sent to me. To which email address, I am not sure,” Nayak claimed.

Section 8(1)(a) alone covers seven grounds to deny information — sovereignty and integrity, defence, strategic, scientific, economic interests and foreign relations of the state and incitement to commission of crimes. Section 8(1)(e) relates to fiduciary relationship, 8(1)(g) exempts information from disclosure which may endanger the life and safety of any person and 8(1)(h) the disclosure impede the investigation, prosecution process or arrest of the offenders.

Several high courts have given orders that mere invoking exemptions is not enough and the public authority must give sufficient reasons to justify denial of information.

“This reply from the Sydney Consulate amounts to shielding officers who may have issued the passport without due diligence or perhaps even through corrupt means. The CBI has already registered an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against unnamed officials in this case. So there is a great amount of public interest in making the identity of these officials public instead of protecting them,” Nayak alleged.

A forged RTI reply furnished seven years ago from his office triggered harassment of a public information officer of Delhi government who finally found refuge in the CIC which has ordered the Chief Minister’s Office to inquire into the matter.

The then Public Information Officer Harjeet Singh, who processed RTI responses at ADM, North District here, had to use the Act to clear himself of the serious charge levelled against him.

In 2008, a response was issued from his office to L D Chopra even when no RTI application was filed. The response was unsigned saying that certified copies of a will have been provided without due process of law.

On the basis of this unsigned response, Anti-Corruption Branch of Delhi government started proceedings against Singh who had now moved as an administrative officer in Delhi Pollution Control Committee.

Singh started filing RTI applications seeking details of the RTI response which triggered action against him but no reply was furnished to him. Even earlier orders of the CIC did not help. Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu took stern view on it.

“The reply served its purpose to help land grabber and its serious side effect was that one responsible officer of public authority suffered humiliation and insults as he faced investigations for no fault of him causing mental depression to entire family members,” he said.

Acharyulu said it is not clear till now which public servant has issued the letter dated SPIO/DC/(N)/RTI/5/ID No.360/928 dated February 14, 2008 which is fabricated.

“It appears that officer who signed the letter is known to others, but all of them are shielding him by putting forward the ‘non traceable’ plea. The Government has responsibility to probe this through an appropriate investigating authority,” he said.
“The Commission finds this as a very bad case of non-

response to RTI request, where the appellant is not a common citizen, but an officer of the same government, who became the victim of a falsely generated RTI response in the absence of any RTI request,” Acharyulu said.

He noted in the order that neither the PIOs nor the ADMs of north and central districts, have cared to take serious note of Commission’s orders in this case, which reflects misuse of RTI by officers.

“The appellant had suffered prolonged humiliation, harassment and insults with different kinds of investigations by police, ACB and others. In spite of many notices, the PIOs did not attend,” he said.

Issuing showcause notices, the Information Commissioner asked ADMs of central and north why a penalty should not be imposed on them and why disciplinary action cannot be recommended against each of them.

“The Commission also requires that the Chief Minister or Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi to take serious note of this criminal act of falsification of record and then hiding the crime under the cover of illegal excuse that ‘RTI record not traceable’,” he said.

The Commissioner said if for any jurisdictional issue, the GNCTD finds it is not within their purview to investigate this, they should request the Union Home Ministry to take up the investigation.

Chandigarh: Internet and SMS services have been suspended till further orders in Rohtak, Rohtak SP Shashank Anand said today.

The decision has been taken ‘to maintain law and order’ in the district, he said.

However, he said mobile services will continue in the district.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has called an all-party meeting today to discuss Jats’ demands.

Normal life has been badly hit because of the ongoing Jat agitation which has spread to more parts of the state after talks between the community leaders and the government failed to break the deadlock.

The protests have disrupted road and rail traffic with the worst hit being the Rohtak-Jhajjar region, the epicentre of the protests, besides Bhiwani, Sonipat and Hisar.

The protesters, who have rejected Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s offer of enhancing quota for economically backward classes, set up road blockade at many places in Panipat affecting movement of vehicles towards Uttar Pradesh.

In view of the blockades by the agitators, Haryana Roadways suspended its bus services on many affected routes.

The administration has imposed prohibitory orders in the entire Rohtak district, banning assembly of five or more persons.PTI

RANCHI: Four naxals, including a woman ultra, were killed in an encounter between security forces and Maoists at a village bordering Nawadih jungle near Ranchi late last night, a police officer said today.

The encounter took place at Ghagrabeda village, about 35 km from Ranchi, on Ranchi-Jamshedpur National Highway 33 last night, Superintendent of Police (Rural), Raj Kumar Lakra said.

Mr Lakra said two policemen who sustained injuries, were airlifted to Ranchi at midnight where they were undergoing treatment. Their condition was stated to be out of danger.

Acting on a tip-off about the movement of a group of Naxals who had assembled in the jungle, security personnel comprising district armed police and CRPF rushed to the spot, Mr Lakra said.

The rebels opened fire on them and the security personnel retaliated killing four naxals including a woman, he said, adding that the bodies have been recovered and two SLRs and two 303 rifles were recovered.

Some other naxals were suspected to have sustained injuries in the encounter, which lasted for a couple of hours, but managed to escape, Mr Lakra said, adding that a massive search operation was launched this morning to trace them.RNI

An earthquake that rattled remote towns high in California’s Sierra Nevada on Tuesday afternoon startled residents for miles around California, but caused no serious damage or injuries, authorities said.

The magnitude 4.8 quake struck just after 3 p.m. six miles (9.6 kilometers) west of Big Pine, a small community in the eastern side of the mountain range along scenic US Route 395.

The quake nine miles(14.4 kilometers) underground in Inyo County hit along the Owens Valley fault line, said Susan Garcia of the US Geological Survey Earthquake Science Center in Menlo Park.

The area has experienced eight quakes of a magnitude 3 since 1935, and a magnitude 4 hit in 1988.

The initial jolt on Tuesday was followed by a series of six aftershocks over more than an hour, the largest had a magnitude of 4.3, Garcia said. Residents in Sacramento, Livermore, Fresno, Bakersfield, Los Angeles and across the state line in Nevada reported feeling the ground shaking.

“I thought something hit our building because there was a loud boom and everything shook for about four to six seconds,” said Cody Lawson, a dispatcher at the nearby Bishop Police Department. “It hit hard right off the bat.”

Nobody called to report an emergency in the town of about 2,500 residents, he said, adding that some in the dispatch center where he works sought shelter under their desks. Lawson said he went to a door frame and waited for the shaking to stop.

Minutes after he got back to his desk and answered the phone, he described one of the aftershocks. “It’s not as strong,” he said. “We’re rolling.” A pre-dawn quake also Tuesday struck just north of Big Bear in the mountains east of Los Angeles. The USGS reported that it registered at 3.8 in magnitude.

The Reserve Bank of India today fixed the reference rate of the rupee at 68.5920 against the US dollar and 76.6104 for the euro.

These rates were 68.3360 and 76.2425 respectively, yesterday.

According to an RBI statement, the exchange rates for the pound and the yen against the rupee were quoted at 98.0180 and 60.32 per 100 yens, respectively, based on reference rates for the dollar and cross-currency quotes at noon.

The SDR-rupee rate will be based on this rate, the statement added.

Dubai, Feb 17 (PTI) Gulf carrier Etihad Airways along with partner Jet Airways has carried a record 3.3 million people between Abu Dhabi and India in 2015, registering a 63 per cent growth in passenger traffic.

Together, the airlines carried a record 3.3 million passengers between Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub and India in 2015, representing a sharp rise on the 2 million flown during the previous 12 months, the airline said.

“Bilateral relations between the UAE and India continue to grow based on years of friendship and deep commitment to strengthen economic, cultural and trade ties.

“With Etihad Airways and Jet Airways together offering over 44,000 seats each week between Abu Dhabi and India, we are clearly are a key contributor to India’s dynamic economy.

There is further room to grow and we are looking at the many opportunities that exist to develop our operations,” said James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer.

“Our investment in Jet Airways was aimed at being part of the Indian success story. Before the Jet deal, Etihad Airways carried only two per cent of the international traffic to and from India. We have helped bring Jet Airways back to profitability.

“Today, Jet Airways is our number one equity partner for revenue and passenger contribution on Etihad Airways, and India is Abu Dhabi’s number one source market for international visitors,” he added.

The UAE is the 10th biggest foreign – and largest Arab – investor in India.

Etihad operates 175 flights each week to and from 11 Indian gateway cities. The combined networks of Etihad Airways and Jet Airways offer over 250 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and 15 cities across India.

From May 1, the airline will launch its award-winning Airbus A380 operations to Mumbai.

By 2020, domestic and international passenger traffic through Indian airports is expected to double to 450 million.

The UN World Tourism Organisation predicts more than 50 million Indians travelling overseas annually by 2020.

A 19-member Parliamentary Working Committee (PWC) on Naga political issue of Nagaland Assembly has been camping in New Delhi to seek the support of national political parties for early solution of the vexed problem.

The delegation, led by Chief Minister TR Zeliang and Speaker Chotisuh Sazo, called on BJP President Amit Shah and JD(U) President Sharad Yadav yesterday, a government statement said here last evening.

While Shah has given an assurance to meet their demands, Yadav expressed his party’s support even for a constitutional amendment, if required, for a peaceful solution to the Naga political issue, it said.

The PWC delegation is expected to meet other national leaders for a consensus, it said.PTI

Hundreds of journalists today held a protest march against the attack on mediapersons covering the hearing of a sedition case in which the JNU students’ union president has been arrested and demanded that the culprits be brought to book.
The scribes, representing various journalist bodies, took out a march from the Press Club to the Supreme Court raising slogans in support of freedom of expression and against alleged police inaction during the incident yesterday.
A delegation of journalists also met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and sought a thorough probe into the incident and strict action against those involved in the assault at the Patiala House Court Complex.
The journalists questioned the “silence of police” over the attack on students and scribes and dubbed it an insult to the judiciary as the incident took place inside a court complex.
Journalists, students and teachers of JNU were beaten up allegedly by groups of lawyers, drawing criticism from the press amidst calls for the Home Ministry to look into the “dereliction of duty” by police, which has been accused of being a “mute spectator” during the incident.
The journalist bodies said it was a matter of “great concern” that attacks on mediapersons are “going up”.
Police have said two FIRs have been registered against unnamed persons in connection with the attack.