Central Information Commission
Shri Kapil Chaudhary vs Hq 21 Corps, Ministry Of Defence on 18 February, 2009
Central Information Commission
Appeal No.CIC/WB/A/2008/00245-SM dated 27.08.2007
Right to Information Act-2005-Under Section (19)
Dated: 18.02.2009
Appellant : Shri Kapil Chaudhary
Respondent : HQ 21 Corps, Ministry of Defence
The Appellant is present.
On behalf of the Respondent, Col. Yoginder Singh, is present The brief facts of the case are as under.
2. The Appellant had requested the CPIO in his letter dated 27 August 2007 for information regarding various vehicles operating under 31 Armed Division. The CPIO, in his reply dated for October 2007, provided him with most of the information while holding back two pieces of information, namely, the registration numbers and tactical numbers of each of these vehicles and the copy of the in and out register maintained by the Establishment. The Appellant approached the first Appellate Authority in October 2007 and that authority disposed of the appeal by merely sending the same information once again. The Appellant has now preferred a second appeal before the Commission against the denial of some of the information he had originally sought.
3. During the hearing, we heard the submissions of both the sides. The CPIO has held back part of the information, namely, the in and out register maintained by the establishment about the movement of vehicles out of the Army area relevant to the date and the registration numbers and tactical and numbers of all such vehicles operating under the 31 Armed Division. In the background in which this information has been sought, namely a fatal accident on account of hit-and-run by a vehicle which the eyewitnesses had claimed to be an army vehicle, we feel that the remaining information should be provided to the Appellant to dispel from his mind, once for all, any trace of suspicion about the exact vehicle that could have caused the accident. In view of this, we direct the CPIO to provide within 10 working days from the receipt of this order the following two pieces of information.
(i) The registration number of all vehicles ending with 55 or 5S and the tactical numbers of those vehicles
(ii) The copy of the in and out register for the relevant date maintained by the Establishment to record the movement of vehicles from the Army area.
4. With the above directions, the appeal is disposed of.
5. Copies of this order be given free of cost to the parties.
Sd/-
(Satyananda Mishra) Information Commissioner Authenticated true copy. Additional copies of orders shall be supplied against application and payment of the charges prescribed under the Act to the CPIO of this Commission.
(Vijay Bhalla) Assistant Registrar