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CIC raps MEA over India-Pakistan prisoners data
By Quaid Najmi
Mumbai/New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) In a significant order, the Central Information Commission (CIC), has directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to provide the complete list with full details of arrested Indian and Pakistani civilians and fishermen to a Mumbai RTI activist within four weeks.
The CIC’s directions came on an appeal filed by activist Jatin Desai, an India-Pakistan peace crusader, seeking details of the full lists as submitted by the governments of the two neighbours to each other.
“Under the Agreement on Consular Access, 2008, both — India and Pakistan — exchange lists of prisoners in each other’s countries in their custody on January 1 and July 1 every year. They include both civilians and fishermen,” Desai told IANS.
Till July 2017, Desai said he was provided the exact copies of the lists exchanges by both sides vide RTI applications.
“However, when I sought copies of the lists exchanged between the two countries on January 1, 2018, I was shocked to see the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) of MEA giving only a small portion of data from the lists – pertaining to the names and parents’ names of the arrested civilians and fisherfolk,” Desai said.
All other details like the date and place of arrests, the charges they were slapped with, the date when they were provided consular access by both countries were ‘missing’ from the lists Desai got.
After his appeals with the MEA, finally the CIC Sudhir Bhargava gave Desai and the MEA’s CPIO a detailed hearing, on February 28, 2019.
The MEA contended that providing any other details — barring the names and parentage of the prisoners — would affect national security, and hence it was exempted from disclosure under the RTI Act, Section 8(1)(a).
However, the MEA failed to explain to the CIC how disclosure of this information would affect national security.
In his order, CIC Bhargava ruled: “An information shall be ordinarily provided in the form in which it is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question.”
Accordingly, he ordered the CPIO, MEA to provide the full information sought by the RTI activist within four weeks, and disposed off the appeal.
“This is an important order as the complete lists would give an idea of the arrests details, the charges they face, whether consular access was given or not within the mandatory period of three months after they were nabbed,” Desai said.
Currently, as of January 1, 2019, there are 537 Indian prisoners of which 483 are fishermen.
Similarly, there are 348 Pakistani prisoners in different Indian jails. Of them, 99 are fishermen.
Both sides use words like “Indian or believed to be Indian” or “Pakistani or believed to be Pakistani” till their citizenship details are verified, said Desai.
The full data of the prisoners also help the families of the arrested persons on both sides of the border to keep track of the progress of the cases going on against them in the courts, the kind of punishment and some indicator of when they are likely to return home, besides follow-up in case of their illness or death while in custody.
(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at [email protected])
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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