Chinese Incursion: CIC Directs Centre to Furnish RTI Queries on Chinese Incursions Filed by Subramanian Swamy
(Judicial Quest News Network)
The central Information Commissioner (CIC), on Monday directed the Central government to issue point-wise replies to BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’f Right to Information (RTI) queries related to Chinese Incursions by China Since 1996.
Swamy had filed the RTI querry in November 2022 and sought the details from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Arrairs and Ministry of Defence.
Swamy in the RTI Application had sought details regarding the illegal incursion along Line of Actual Control (LAC) and any cession of land to China Since 1996-2014.
The CIC in it’s order said that upon hearing averments of the contesting parties and after perusal of records of the case, The respondant-PIO , MEA is hereby directed to revisit the RTI Application and and furnish appoint-wise revised reply to the queries raised by Appellant within four weeks of receipt of this order, CICalso diredcted the MEA to submit a compliance report before the Commission withi one week thereafter.
Swamy had sought information on following aspects:
“1. What extent of the Sovereign Land of the Republic of India has been acquired by the People’s Republic of China, across the 1996 mutually agreed upon Line of Actual Control? Kindly provide a map of the same, showing the exact ground portion, as of November 2022.
2. What extent of India’s Sovereign land has been ceded to China due to the further creation of buffer zones or “no man’s land”, across the mutually agreed upon Line of Actual Control of 1996? Kindly provide a map of the same.
3. What extent of India’s sovereign land has been ceded to the People’s Republic of China since 2014? Kindly provide a map for the same, each year wise.
4. What extent of India’s Sovereign land has been lost due to the further creation of buffer zones or “no man’s land” since 2014? Kindly provide a map of the same.
5. Under what agreement or otherwise India had ceded the Aksai Chin region to China? If so, kindly provide documentation of the same, including the area ceded.
6. How many times, and on what dates has there been Chinese military illegal incursions over Indian Territory across the mutually agreed upon Line of Actual Control between the countries since 1996? Kindly provide details of the same.
7. How many people have been displaced in India due to the creation of buffer zones or no man’s land, or ceding of India’s territory, since the drawing of the mutually agreed upon Line of Actual Control between the countries since 1996? Kindly provide details of the same.”
Swamy had on earlier occasions also slammed the Modi on the non-transparency on Chinese Itrusions, in the RTI Application filed in November 2022.
Swamy did not initially received any response from the authorities within the timeline prescribed under RTI Act 2005, he then file second appeal before the CIC in March 2023. In response,the MEA told the CIC that it furnished the information held in the official records, in April 2023. In answer to his certain questions, the MEA had provided Swamy the copies of answers given by Defence Minister to the parliament.
The CPIO, MHA transferred the matter to the Commandant, Border Management-I vide letter dated 18.11.2022 under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act under intimation to the Appellant, wherefrom the matter was further transferred to PIO, Ministry of Defence vide letter dated 07.12.2022. The PIO, Ministry of Defence, Dept. of Military Affairs vide letter dated 21.12.2022 transferred the RTI Application to CPIO, Army HQ and further to CPIO, Ministry of Home Affairs vide letter dated 29.12.2022.
[Read Order]
