New Delhi : The Central Information Commission (CIC) has called the electronics and information technology ministry’s denial of information about comments related to the public consultation on the Personal Data Protection Bill “grossly improper”.
Information commissioner Vanaja Sarna, in an order dated March 25, directed the concerned officer to revisit the application. It added in case the ministry cannot justify the right grounds to withhold the information, the details should be made public.
The direction is to be complied with within 15 days from the date of receipt of the order.
Digital rights advocacy group Internet Freedom Foundation sought information under the Right To Information (RTI) Act on the consultations conducted before drafting the bill around three years ago. “We will keep persisting for transparency around the Data Bill,” the foundation tweeted on Friday.
A ministry official said they’ll look into the order.
Reference: CIC, Apar Gupta vs CPIO, Department of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY), New Delhi, File no.: – CIC/MOIAB/A/2019/110785/MOEIT, D/d 25.3.2021
