Govt. to challenge SCIC order against CP Rakesh Maria : The state government has decided to challenge Chief Information Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad’s order to institute a judicial probe against Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria for providing misleading information to the widow of a police officer gunned down by Pakistani terrorists in the November, 2008 attacks.
The CIC’s order against Maria had accepted slain officer Ashok Kamte’s wife, Vinita Kamte’s allegations, that there were discrepancies between two copies of call logs of wireless conversation between the control room and Kamte’s van, in which he was shot down by terrorists along with the then Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar.
She had charged that there was a delay in sending help to her injured husband and his colleagues and that the call logs were tampered with to hide this. She had also alleged that information about who directed her husband and his colleagues to follow the terrorists into the Cama Hospital lane, where they were ambushed, was denied to her.
RTI activist Anil Galgali said the CIC had exceeded its brief in ordering the judicial inquiry.”Gaikwad has been appointed by the state government to give information and thereby give justice. But he has no powers to order an inquiry. The job of the State Information Commission is to provide information. They have failed in that,” he said.
No plan to strip Saif of Padma Shri:
The home ministry denied any move to strip actor Saif Ali Khan of his Padma Shri award, conferred on him in 2010, in the wake of a Mumbai court framing charges against him for assaulting an NRI businessman at a city hotel.
“The home ministry’s reply to the RTI filed by SC Agarwal to know the status of his own complaint, stating that the matter is under examination, is a routine response to any query that relates to a pending complaint. The home ministry has to call for necessary records from the state government or the court to validate the charges made in the complaint… this takes time and the merits of the complaints are finally decided on the basis to be under examination,” a senior home ministry official said.
Above was in reply to SC Agarwals RTI application to the home ministry
Gifts to PM Manmohan Singh:
From a fancy Bose music system to a glittering Piaget ladies wrist watch, former PM Manmohan Singh took home some 101 unique pieces of gift items that were given to him by heads of states whose countries he visited in his official capacity, an RTI query has revealed. But the government has refused to share details of Singh’s pay and perks, his parting comments or names of countries that gave the presents. Singh is permitted to retain gifts under the Foreign Contribution (Acceptance or Retention of Gifts or Presentations) Regulations, 1978 and its Rules, 2012.
