By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: The Central Information Commission has summoned Delhi Police to a hearing on an RTI petition seeking details about the Batla House encounter and the Delhi serial blasts accused. The hearing – for which the Commission has taken more than one year against the provision of 90 days – will be held on February 9 on the second appeal of the RTI petitioner.
The petition has sought information on six counts: Number of people killed in Batla House encounter with their details; post-mortem report of each of them; copy of FIR if filed on the day of the encounter; number of people picked and arrested in connection with the Delhi serial blasts with their details (name, father’s name etc); from where these people were picked or arrested; evidence of involvement of those picked and not released.
RTI activist Afroz Alam Sahil filed the petition with the Delhi Police on September 25, 2008, six days after the encounter. He did not get any response from the police. He filed first appeal on October 29, 2008 and two days later he got a reply wherein he was told about the number of people killed in the shootout and that the FIR was filed on that day. He was not provided any other information nor any document.
Sahil filed second appeal on January 27, 2009 as his queries were not replied properly. The hearing on this appeal should have been held within 90 days according to RTI law but the CIC itself took more than one year to conduct a hearing which will be on coming February 9.
As the Azamgarh visit of Congress leader Digvijay Singh – where he cast doubt on the genuineness of the Batla House encounter citing the bullet holes on the upper side of Sajid, a Delhi serial blast accused – it will be interesting to see if the Delhi police provide post-mortem reports and other details sought by the RTI petitioner.