Respond to RTI query seeking to know illegal Bangladeshis in India, CIC tells MHA

NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Home Ministry to respond to a three-year-old RTI application seeking to know the number of illegal Bangladeshi nationals in India and action taken against agencies which failed to send them back.

An RTI applicant had approached the Home Ministry asking for information on three points -- the number of illegal Bangladeshis in India, the authority responsible for sending them back and action taken against the authority for failing in its duty.

The matter was referred to the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which denied the information citing its exemption from the RTI Act being a national security and intelligence agency.

During the hearing at the commission, the highest adjudicating body in RTI matters, Bureau of Immigration, which works under the IB, said it only monitors and collects statistics pertaining to those immigrants who overstay.

Seeking unconditional apology, the Burea said the matter does not pertain to it and should have been returned to the ministry.

In view of this, the commission directs the respondent to transfer the appellant's RTI application under Section 6 (3) of the RTI Act to the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), MHA within a period of two weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order under intimation to the appellant, Chief Information Commissioner Sudhir Bhargava said.

"The commission further directs the CPIO, MHA, New Delhi, to provide correct and complete information to the appellant within a period of four weeks from the date of receipt of the RTI application from the CPIO, Bureau of Immigration under intimation to the commission," he said in a recent order.