The Delhi High Court has annulled a Central Information Commission order mandating the Indian Air Force to disclose details about foreign travels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Manmohan Singh, citing security concerns.
On Monday, the Delhi High Court rescinded an earlier order issued by the Central Information Commission in 2020. The order required the Indian Air Force to release detailed records about foreign travels of the prime ministers on Indian Air Force aircraft between April 2013 and June 2018. These details included specifics about the aircraft, crew, entourage, and security personnel accompanying the prime ministers.
The case originated from a petition filed by Lokesh K Batra, a former Navy officer and Right to Information activist, who sought detailed records of these foreign trips. The matter has been under court review since its initiation in 2020, when the Delhi High Court temporarily stayed the Central Information Commission’s order.
Initially, the Indian Air Force contended that the sensitive nature of the information requested by Batra – pertaining to security arrangements for the prime ministers – warranted non-disclosure. On Thursday, Batra asserted that the expenditure associated with these foreign trips, which were funded from public funds, were matters of significant public interest.
However, the court stated that merely because public funds had been spent on foreign travel did not automatically justify disclosure of information that could potentially compromise security arrangements for such visits.
Source:
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