Details won't serve public interest: MP CMO's reply to RTI plea on corruption

Bhopal: The details of complaints of alleged corruption received through 'complaint boxes', installed on the premises of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's office, cannot be shared as it may not serve larger public interest, the state government has said in reply to an RTI query.

Anti-corruption activist Ajay Dubey had filed the RTI application, seeking details of such complaints received by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) between 2012 and 2018, and action taken.

He had also requested for a copy of any order issued on the complaints of alleged corruption.

In its reply, the CMO said the applicant had sought detailed information. The disclosure of information does not appear to serve any public interest and therefore, it is not binding to give such details, it said.

Chouhan had in 2011 announced setting up of complaint boxes in all government departments in a bid to check corruption. The announcement had come following income tax searches at the residence of an IAS couple, Arvind and Tinoo Joshi, in 2010.

The searches had resulted in detection of disproportionate assets worth Rs 350 crore and seizure of Rs 3 crore in cash.

The couple were dismissed from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 2014.

Dubey claimed that the state government has not acted on many complaints received through these boxes. "What is the government afraid of? Why aren't they sharing (details of) action taken on such complaints? What do they want to hide?" asked Dubey.

He said that an appeal would be filed under the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act to challenge the decision of the public information officer of the CMO.