SUBHASH CHANDRA AGARWAL Vs. LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner, being a citizen of the country, challenges order dated 20.02.2013 made by the Central Information Commission ("CIC", for short) dismissing the second appeal preferred by him and order dated 26.03.2013 made by the Secretariat, Lok Sabha, thereby denying certain information sought on the ground that furnishing it would amount to "breach of privilege" of Parliament and is therefore exempt under section 8(1)(c) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 ("RTI Act", for short).

(2.) The matter arises from an application dated 01.09.2011 made by the petitioner before the Central Public Information Officer, Lok Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi ("CPIO", for short) seeking response to 13 specific queries alongwith 2 omnibus queries relating to extension of the tenure of the then Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. As recited in the RTI application, the queries arose from a news report titled "Spat brews as BJP opposes Speaker on LS official's term' dated 31.08.2011 published in the New Delhi edition of the "Times of India" newspaper. The Secretary General was appointed on 01.10.2010 and was granted extension of tenure w.e.f. 31.08.2011 during the term of the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-2014).

(3.) By reply dated 01.11.2011, the CPIO however declined to furnish answers to three of the queries posed, the queries and the responses thereto being as follows:-