CIC nixes Khemka plea for relief from PMO

New Delhi: The CIC has rejected a plea of whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka seeking compensation from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and penalty on an official for delay in disclosing a letter from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to the then PM on the suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal by the Uttar Pradesh government.
Khemka claimed that the PMO did not furnish him the letter from Sonia to the then PM Manmohan Singh on Nagpal's suspension within the mandatory 30 days, hence the central public information officer should be penalised.He claimed the letter was available with various TV channels but he was not furnished a copy.
T he PMO said inputs were sought from the office concerned for providing information to the appellant and on receiving inputs from the office, a copy of the inputs/note was provided to the appellant. It said the matter was also discussed in the Cabinet for changes in the All India Service Rules and hence attracted exemption from the RTI Act. Khemka said the PMO had never informed him whether the letter in question was part of the agenda item to be put up before the Cabinet.
Alleging that the delay caused a loss to him in service matters, he demanded penalty on the CPIO and suitable compensation to be granted to him. However, chief information commissioner R K Mathur said in the instant matter it cannot be said that the PIO acted out of any malice or with intent to deny the information sought by the appellant.