NEW DELHI: In a decision that could have a far-reaching impact on making the selection process of
national awards more transparent, the
Central Information Commission has ordered the
MCI to reveal the process of selection of award recipients to an
RTI applicant.
The order by information commissioner Yashovardhan Azad clarifies, “The process of bestowing national honours cannot be kept away from public scrutiny. Any practice facilitating opacity will go on to diminish the sanctity of the honour and its past recipients.”
It came on an application by R Natarajan, who wanted information from the Medical Council of India (MCI) regarding the Dr B C Roy National Award, conferred on ace doctors annually by the President.
The MCI did not respond satisfactorily to Natarajan’s application. Azad rebutted the MCI contention that the award fund was a separate society and thus out of the ambit of MCI. “It does not partake a distinct legal character as far as access of information is concerned,” Azad said. “In garb of functional autonomy, the parent body MCI cannot be said to have abrogated its right to access information from the society,” he said.
