The airline has refused to provide information, asks for review of CIC order in view of ‘severe competitive market’

Moneylife has written about Central Information Commission (CIC) order on Air India for disclosing information about rolling out bigger jets for VIPs. Read http://www.moneylife.in/article/air-india-must-disclose-details-of-planes-rolled-out-for-vips/22766.html Air India, however, looks reluctant to provide details of travels of former civil aviation minister Praful Patel’s family. It has asked for a review by the decision by the same CIC, something that is not possible under the RTI Act.

While a review cannot be sought under RTI Act after a CIC hearing, a court stay order can be obtained. But neither did Air India give the information within the stipulated days, nor did it get a stay order from any court. In the review petition, CPIO at Air India has avoided mentioning the CIC dictat of revealing names of person(s) responsible for the decision of rolling our bigger jets on 25 April 2010 and 28 April 2010 to accommodate the in-laws of Mr Patel’s daughter for their trip to the Maldives.

The review petition reads, “The company, keeping in view its commercial interests, follows the practice of not disclosing the travel particulars of its valued passengers. Such information available to us not only in a fiduciary relationship But also amounts to invasion of privacy of an individual. The information therefore is denied in terms of Section 8(1)(d) and 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, 2005.  In the view of the severe competitive market, we request the Honourable Commission to review the decision on this particular point.”

RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal has complained to the Central Information Commissioner Ms Sushma Singh, who had delivered the order to Air India about disclosing all information related to the matter. “Air India has now sought review of your verdict on this point. But firstly the RTI Act does not have any provision of review of verdicts by Honourable Central Information Commission itself. Secondly exemptions under section 8(1)(d) and (j) of RTI Act tried to be again claimed in review, were discussed in length at time of hearing of the petition,” he wrote to the CIC.
 
 Mr Agrawal has asked the CIC to reject the Air India review petition, and asked for penal action against the CPIO. “It is unfair that Air India may hide serious irregularities of its Union minister by openly defying CIC verdict. Strict-most action should be taken against concerned ones at Air India especially at a time when the national carrier has been made a loss-creating a ‘white elephant’ by political rulers and officers dancing to their tune even after orders of the transparency watchdog,” says Mr Agrawal.