HYDERABAD: The Lok Sabha Secretariat refused to furnish the details of MPs, who tested positive for Covid-19, as there is no public interest in it.“The applicant has broadly sought information relating to Covid-19 status/sickness of MPs and officers/staff of this Secretariat which constitutes personal information as defined in clause (j) of Section 8(1) of the RTI Act.
The personal information sought does not involve any public interest. The application does not disclose any larger public interest to outweigh the disclosure of personal and confidential information of an individual available with the Secretariat in fiduciary relationship. Therefore, the information sought is exempted from disclosure in terms of clause 8 1 (e) & (j) of RTI Act, 2005,” the Lok Sabha Secretariat replied to an RTI query raised by an activist Sudheer Jalagam.
When the applicant sought the expenditure incurred on MPs, who tested positive for Covid-19, the Lok Sabha Secretariat replied: “The information as sought by the applicant is vague.” On the expenditure to stop the spread of Covid in Parliament, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said that no expenditure was incurred from the Budget of Lok Sabha Secretariat by General Works Branch to contain the spread of the virus.