Bhopal: The Information Commission (IC) of Madhya Pradesh has summoned the Director of Cheetah Project, Uttam Kumar Sharma, in cases related to Right to Information (RTI).
The summon was issued in response to a complaint lodged with the state information commissioner Rajesh Bhat by RTI activist Ajey Dubey alleging that Mr. Sharma has withheld the information on the Cheetah Project, sought under the RTI Act, citing ‘threat to the security and sovereignty of India’.
The state information commissioner heard four cases based on a petition filed by the RTI activist regarding Madhya Pradesh forest department’s Cheetah Project in Sheopur district in the state.
“During the hearing, the state Information Commissioner summoned Mr. Sharma, in three of those four cases”, Mr. Dubey told this newspaper on Saturday.
According to him, the information sought in the public interest under these cases included details regarding the permission to tranquilize cheetahs in 2024, cheetah blood test reports, post-operation reports of injured cheetahs, and post-mortem reports of the deceased cheetahs.
This apart, information was also sought regarding mineral materials used in construction works at Kuno National Park in Sheopur district where African cheetahs were introduced, permission for documentaries produced under the Cheetah Project, and details about resources and doctors at the Cheetah Hospital.
“However, information was withheld by citing exemptions under RTI Act Sections 8 (1) (a) (threat to security and sovereignty of India) and 8 (1) (j) (disclosure of personal information)”, Mr Dubey said.
During the hearing held on Friday, the petitioner submitted the documents before the commission, stating that Mr. Sharma, in-charge of the Cheetah Project, committed severe violations of the RTI Act from 2024 to the present date.
Mr. Dubey alleged that Mr. Sharma arbitrarily acted as both the Public Information Officer (PIO) and the First Appellate Authority in these cases, passing legal orders.
He demanded action against Mr. Sharma for allegedly violating the RTI Act by not sharing the information sought under the RTI Act.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
