RTI activist to appeal for a clearer answer on Pegasus
Saurav Das, a Puducherry-based activist and part of the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information, told TOI that he had filed the RTI query on October 23. In the reply that he received on October 31, Das was told that the home ministry does not have any information on Pegasus.
"It's important to note that the government did not accept or refute the claims. All they said was that they have no information on the issue. It just means that the officer was playing safe. I will appeal against their decision with the appellate authority for more information, but I don’t think I will get any answer," Das said.
Das had filed four questions in his query, asking the home ministry if it had bought Pegasus and if it had, the date on which the purchase was made. He had also asked if the government had a proposal to buy the spyware at any point in the past, or any consideration of purchasing it in the future.
"I had watched a Frontline PBS documentary on the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and there was a section on Pegasus in the film. This made me curious to know if Pegasus was used by the Indian government at any point as well," said Das.
Das’s questions were answered by a Central Public Information Officer who claimed that he didn’t have any information and “disposed” of the case. “If one department does not have any information, it is supposed to transfer the RTI request. But that didn’t happen with this query,” said Das. He also added that the timing of the response was “questionable” because his other queries to the same department have always taken between 25-30 days to be answered, while this query was responded to in a week.
[1][2][3]
References
from India News | Latest News Headlines & Live Updates from India - Times of India https://ift.tt/2PFYaps
Post a Comment