Vigilance comes under RTI ambit: HC

Kochi: The Kerala High Court Friday stayed a state government order exempting the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) from the purview of Right to Information Act.

Passing interim orders on a PIL, a division bench headed by Justice P N Ravindran said prima facie there was some infirmity in the January 27 government order.

Petitioner Indian Association of Lawyers submitted that though the Chief Minister had declared that the order exempting VACB from the purview of RTI will be revoked before the model code of conduct for the May 16 Assembly came into force, so far nothing in this regard had been done by the government.

The government opposed the PIL pointing out that the coming assembly election was the only motive behind it. The petitioner argued that the order was a sheer abuse of power.

Noting that RTI Act allowed exemption of only intelligence and security organisations from its purview, the PIL alleged the state government issued the order to cover up large-scale corruption committed by ministers and higher officials.