Central Govt refuses info on Bofors SLP

Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT), Government of India has declined to provide information about filing of SLP in Bofors case before the Supreme Court. Lucknow based activist Dr Nutan Takur had sought documents related with filing of SLP challenging 12-year-old Hon’ble Delhi high court verdict along with legal opinion given by Attorney General K K Venugopal to DOPT advising not to file SLP in the case.

Under Secretary L P Sharma said in his reply that the information is exempted under section 8(1)(e) of RTI Act and has references made by CBI, which is exempted under section 24 of RTI Act, hence this information cannot be provided. Nutan said she shall challenge this denial because DOPT is not exempt from RTI and also because advice by Government counsel is an official document and is not information made in fiduciary relationship.

केंद्र द्वारा बोफोर्स एसएलपी पर पत्रावली देने से मना

कार्मिक एवं प्रशिक्षण विभाग (डीओपीटी), भारत सरकार ने बोफोर्स मामले में सुप्रीम कोर्ट में दायर किये गए एसएलपी के सम्बन्ध में सूचना देने से मना कर दिया है. लखनऊ स्थित एक्टिविस्ट डॉ नूतन ठाकुर ने 12-वर्ष पूर्व दिल्ली हाई कोर्ट के फैसले को अब सुप्रीम कोर्ट में दी गयी चुनती तथा अटॉर्नी जनरल के के वेणुगोपाल द्वारा एसएलपी दायर नहीं करने के सम्बन्ध में डीओपीटी को दी गयी राय से सम्बंधित अभिलेख मांगे थे. अनु सचिव एल पी शर्मा द्वारा दिए गए जवाब के अनुसार यह प्रकरण आरटीआई एक्ट की धारा 8(1)(e) में निर्बन्धित है, साथ ही इस पत्रावली में सीबीआई द्वारा दी गयी राय भी है, जो धारा 24 में आरटीआई एक्ट के बाहर है, अतः यह सूचना नहीं दी जा सकती. नूतन ने कहा कि आरटीआई एक्ट में सीबीआई बाहर है, डीओपीटी नहीं. साथ ही शासकीय अधिवक्ता द्वारा दी गयी राय वैश्वासिक सम्बन्ध में दी गयी सूचना नहीं मानी जायेगी, अतः वे इस मनाही को चुनौती देंगी.

Attached- RTI Query and reply

Kindly provide the documents belonging to Department of Personnel and Training  (DOPT) related with filing of Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging 12-year-old Hon’ble Delhi high court verdict closing the Bofors case, including the Notesheet and the correspondence between DOPT and various other offices.

As per a news report by PTI on 29/01/2018-

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should not file a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court in a case related to the Bofors gun pay-off as it is likely to be dismissed, Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal has advised the government.

In a recent letter to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Mr. Venugopal said the CBI should present its stand in a similar case pending before the court, in which the agency is also a party.

XXXX The DoPT had sought legal opinion from the Attorney- General on the CBI’s request that it be allowed to file the SLP, sources said.

In a letter to the Secretary, DoPT, Mr. Venugopal said, Now, more than 12 years have elapsed. Any SLP filed before the Supreme Court at this stage, in my view, is likely to be dismissed by the court on account of the long delay itself. He said the record did not reveal any significant events or special circumstances that could be said to constitute sufficient cause for not approaching the Supreme Court within the 90 days permitted by law, or at any time thereafter in the past so many years. Kindly provide the documents belonging to Department of Personnel and Training  (DOPT) related with the above legal opinion sought by DOPT and the above letter of AG Sri Venugopal about the Bofors case, including the Notesheet and the correspondence between DOPT and various other offices.