The Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday excluded the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (ACB) from the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
The notification in this regard was issued by the department of personnel (Administrative Reforms) of the state government. According to the notification, the decision has been taken by exercising powers under Section 24(4) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
The notification states: “In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 24 (4) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, the governor, Himachal Pradesh is pleased to exclude the state vigilance & anti-corruption bureau from the ambit of the Right to Information Act, 2005.”
Following this decision, citizens will no longer be able to directly obtain information from the vigilance and ACB through RTI applications. However, as per the provisions of the law, limited information related to corruption and human rights violations can still be sought.
The notification has been issued by chief secretary Sanjay Gupta.
Officials indicated that the decision has been taken keeping in view administrative reasons and the sensitive nature of investigation processes. During investigations into corruption cases, several sensitive details are involved and making such information public through RTI could affect the probe process. Therefore, the vigilance and ACB has been kept outside the purview of the RTI Act.
