New Delhi: Central Information Commission has directed the Home Ministry to give clear information on why an IPS officer was not given Police Medal for meritorious service, even though his name was in the list of winners and Home Secretary sent him a congratulatory telegram.
The strange case relates to 1993 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IPS officer Shailesh Kumar Yadav, currently posted in Tamil Nadu DGP office, whose name was in the list of Police medal of Meritorious Service winners of August 2009.
He was even sent a congratulatory telegram from Home Ministry in this regard.
Yadav, who was posted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences at the time the winners were announced, did not get his medal and citation following which he took the RTI route to know the status of his award.
He asked the Home Ministry the reasons for delay in according him the honour and whether other officers, who figured in the award list, had already been given medals and citations.
The Central Public Information Officer of the Ministry refused to provide information saying the details sought did not come under the definition of information under RTI Act.
"It is not denied by the respondent (MHA) that appellant`s name was published on its website for award of the Police Medal for Meritorious Service, nor is the congratulatory telegram of the Union Home Secretary which was sent to the appellant in this regard, denied," Information Commissioner Sushma Singh said.
Rejecting the arguments of MHA, she said the officials have not quoted any provisions of the RTI Act for denying the information which is "no doubt held by them in their record".
Directing them to provide information, she said, "The Commission is of the view that the queries have to be replied to, as per record held by the Public Authority."
PTI
