VIJAYAWADA: Reiterating its stand on sharing information related to the temple, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has said as it is not a public organisation, it does not come under the purview of Right To Information (RTI) Act.
The TTD made its stand clear on a petition filed in the High Court last month against an interim order by the Central Information Commission (CIC), which “strongly recommended” that the TTD give up its illegal stand of running away from accountability under the RTI Act and begin providing information to applicants.
With the High Court granting an interim suspension on further proceedings by the CIC, as requested by the TTD, the commission adjourned the business and reserved its final order. “...[The] proceedings are adjourned until final adjudication in the High Court,” Central Information Commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu said, in an order issued on Tuesday.
It may be noted here that the CIC issued an interim order on August 30 hauling up the TTD for stonewalling information sought under the RTI Act. In the interim order, the CIC, seeking information on the steps taken by the temple administration in protecting the temple structures, questioned the Union Culture Ministry about the whereabouts of the missing ornaments donated to the temple by 16th-century ruler Sri Krishnadevaraya.
The CIC noted that the loss of ornaments deserved the PMO’s attention and posted the matter for hearing to September 28. However, the TTD, filing a petition in the High Court, prayed for a declaration of the CIC’s interim order as “illegal, arbitrary, without application of mind, without jurisdiction and violative of provisions of RTI Act, 2005 and Articles 14, 25 and 26 of Constitution of India”.
Before granting the interim suspension, the High Court, in its September 27 order, directed the issue of a notice to the respondents, including Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Union Culture Ministry, Archaeological Survey of India and CIC, to show-cause as to why the petition should not be admitted. “As the balance of convenience is in favour of the petitioner and as all these issues require detailed consideration, there shall be an interim suspension as prayed for,” it said.
For the record, the CIC was hearing the appeal of the BKSR Ayyangar from Eluru, who petitioned the PMO for details about the government’s measures taken to declare the TTD temples as protected monuments.
Swamy appears before High Court writ committee
Hyderabad: Rajya Sabha member and senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday appeared before the Hyderabad High Court writ committee in connection with a PIL filed by him seeking to liberate Tirumala temple from State government’s control. It is learnt that Swamy submitted that he is capable of placing his arguments before the court in the PIL filed by him.