No whistleblowing on sovereignty

New Delhi: In a bid to keep issues such as national security and sovereignty out of its ambit, the government plans to amend the Whistleblowers’ Protection Act. This has been necessitated as the law passed by Parliament earlier this year does not have provisions to safeguard against disclosures affecting the sovereignty and national security issues.

That Act, however, has not been brought into force so far. The Modi government, after assuming office in May last year, had decided against implementing the Whistleblowers’ Act till the amendments were made. Sources said the Cabinet is likely to consider the amendments in the coming days.

The issue of safeguarding information on national security was first raised by the BJP when then minister of state for personnel, V. Narayanasamy had tabled the Bill in the Rajya Sabha. After back-channel talks, the UPA government had agreed to the amendments.

But UPA floor managers had requested the BJP not to press for it during the debate on the Bill in the Upper House as an amended Bill would have to revert to the Lower House for assent, which was not feasible as the last session of the previous Lok Sabha was coming to an end.

“As the Bill was taken up on the last day of the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha, the official amendments to the Bill were not moved. The proposed amendments are of a crucial nature,” minister of state for personnel Jitendra Singh had informed the Lok Sabha last month.

The Whistleblowers’ Protection Act, which provides a mechanism for protecting the identity of those who expose corruption, got presidential assent in May 2014.