Oil Ministry leaks: Jaipal Reddy ensured only three officials handle files

NEW DELHI: Past petroleum ministers used different methods to guard against theft of sensitive documents at the oil ministry. Mani Shankar Aiyar, for instance, attempted to ensure the staff in the ministers's office were trustworthy while Veerappa Moily installed CCTV cameras.

But Jaipal Reddy , who was the petroleum minister from January, 2011 to October 2012 is learnt to have devised his own leak-proof system.

Incidentally, when Reddy was switched from petroleum to science and technology minister in 2012 there was speculation that widespread dissatisfaction among private investors, may have led to the decision to shift him from petroleum.

Reddy cut down on leaks by ensuring that the details of deliberations were known only to three senior civil servants: petroleum secretary , a joint secretary and personal secretary to the minister.

They not only personally drafted all the documents but also personally typed copy and kept the papers to themselves. However, Reddy was not available for comments when ET tried to contact him. The solidity of the leakproof system that Reddy created stood its biggest test when he decided to start official correspondence with then Solicitor General of India Rohinton Nariman (now an SC judge) on possible action could be explored against RIL for failing to fulfill its contractual commitment on production from KG Basin. Sources said , for nearly six months Reddy's office and Nariman's office exchanged cor respondences. The action agreed upon by Reddy and Nariman is now the subject of an arbitration case.

However the proposed action against RIL did leak out. The leak, incidentally, took place soon after the document had been sent to the ministry of law for opinion. Within days, even before the ministry of petroleum could serve the notice, RIL pre-empted it by pushing the ministry into legal arbitration.