Indian mission in Pakistan denies information on status of Kulbhushan Jadhav

High Commission of India in Islamabad declines to provide information on imprisoned spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, citing security concerns.

The High Commission of India (HCI) in Islamabad has declined to provide any information on the status of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an alleged spy imprisoned in Pakistan.

This decision was made in response to a petition filed by Arkatla Bunganna, who sought information on the “status of the incarceration of Kulbhushan Jadhav, facing charges of espionage in a Pakistani jail since 2018.”

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Mr. Bunganna requested the details under the Right to Information Act, 2005, citing his Below Poverty Line (BPL) status to seek an exemption from the fee. However, there was no mention of any relationship between the petitioner and Mr. Jadhav.

Not satisfied with the responses from the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) and the First Appellate Authority (FAA) of the HCI, Mr. Bunganna approached the Central Information Commission (CIC) for relief.

In an order issued last year, a copy of which was accessed by The Hindu, the CIC upheld the decision of the CPIO and FAA, who denied the information citing Section 8(1)(a) of the Act.

This section exempts the disclosure of information that could “prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific, or economic interests of the State, relations with foreign states, or lead to incitement of an offence.”