CIC directs Indian Navy to disclose details of death at Hyderabad Air Show in 2010

NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented order, the Central Information Commission has directed the Indian Navy to disclose details of events, including the internal board of inquiry proceedings, leading upto the air crash of a young pilot at an air show in Hyderabad in 2010.

Setting aside Indian Navy's objections that it was a matter of national security and the information is exempted from disclosure under Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Commission has given relief to the armed forces' veteran father of the pilot, who has been seeking information since 2014. The transparency watchdog has given the pro-disclosure order after two years of hearings and two interim orders.

Commander R M Nair, a retired Indian Navy officer, had sought information on the findings of board of inquiry instituted after his 35-year old son Lieutenant Commander Rahul Nair died along with Commander S K Maurya when their Navy plane performing aerobatics crashed in a residential building.

The plane was a part of Indian Navy's Sagar Pawan Aerobatic team participating in the Indian Aviation 2010 air show, which was jointly organised in Hyderabad by ministry of civil aviation and FICCI. The Indian Navy had sought exemption under Section 8 (1) (a) of RTI Act saying disclosure of details of board of inquiry report would compromise national security. Information Commissioner D P Sinha brushed aside the arguments and said, "National security is a ground which has to be corroborated with tenable indicators of compromise."