Central Information Commission asks Prime Minister's Office to retrieve emergency records

NEW DELHI: Surprised at "missing" records of correspondence between the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed relating to the 1975 Emergency proclamation, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to retrieve and preserve the relevant files.

The transparency panel also sought an enquiry by the PMO into how the records relating to "such an important event in the history of post-independent India" were untraceable.

In a reply to an RTI query, the PMO had claimed that despite its best efforts, the communication relating to proclamation of Emergency could not be traced in its records. When the matter reached the CIC, the PMO officials again reiterated the position stated in the RTI reply.

Chief information commissioner Satyananda Mishra observed that the untraceable Emergency files was "something surprising", even though he refrained from faulting the officials concerned.

"The records relating to such an important event in the history of post-independence India should be carefully preserved for future and cannot be allowed to get lost in the labyrinth of government offices," Mishra said in his order.

"We would like the competent authorities in the PMO to enquire into this matter and to ensure that these records are retrieved or traced, and should be preserved appropriately for the citizens to access," he added.