New Delhi: The Law Ministry has refused to
make public recommendation given by its Minister Veerappa Moily for a joint drafting commitee on Lokpal Bill, saying it
was his personal view in the capacity "as a thinker of the
political party".
Responding to an RTI application, the Ministry said
the office of the Minister has informed that Dr Veerappa Moily
had written to the Prime Minister on the issue in "personal
capacity as a thinker of the political party and not as
Minister of Law and Justice."
"Views formed by him to encourage dialogue including
any suggestion to set up a Joint Drafting Committee to draft
Lokpal Bill, are his personal views and attract provisions of
section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, 2005," the Ministry said in
the reply.
Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act exempts from disclosure
the information which relates to personal information which
has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or
which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the
individual.
"In view of this, it would not be possible to provide
the copy of letter written by Dr Veerappa Moily to the Prime
Minister for setting up Joint Drafting Committee to draft
Lokpal Bill," the reply to S C Agrawal said.
Government had formed a joint drafting committee on
Lokpal Bill comprising five representatives of civil society
and five Union Ministers on April 9 after a 98-hour long fast
by activist Anna Hazare.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, July 05, 2011, 17:51