Kochi, April 29 : A division bench of the Kerala High Court on Friday stayed the government notification exempting the T-Branch or the ‘top secret’ wing of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) from the purview of the Right to Information Act.
The division bench comprising Justices Sunil Thomas and C N Raveendran gave the verdict on a petition filed by Communist Party of India-affiliated lawyers’ association Indian Association of Lawyers challenging the controversial government notification.
Freezing the government order, the division bench orally observed that the government move to exempt the ‘top secret’ wing of VACB - which is tasked with enquiring into cases against elected representatives, and top bureaucrats and officers – ran contrary to the very spirit of the RTI Act.
The court also said that the government order prima facie looked bad in law, adding that the public was entitled to be informed about Vigilance inquiries.
The government’s decision to issue a notification to exempt the T-Branch of VACB from RTI ambit had kicked up a row with the Opposition alleging that the move was aimed at suppressing corruption cases against the government.
