National Museum: CIC Directs Prompt Replies from Noted Government Entities
Against the backdrop of news of serious allegations against National Museum officials about the handling and movement of priceless antiquities against the directives of the Union ministry of culture; alleged smuggling of artifacts and its officers allegedly travelling on personal passports without sanction from the ministry; a whistle-blower, suspecting large-scale protocol breaches and international smuggling, invoked the Right to Information Act (RTI) for procuring information from the ministry of culture as well as the status of his complaint with the central vigilance commission (CVC) which was forwarded to the National Museum.
 
RTI applicant Sudhakar Sharma sought the following information under the RTI Act regarding the management and operations of the National Museum which comes under the ministry:
Roster for foreign deputation: Does the National Museum maintain a roster for foreign deputations of its officers, as directed by the ministry of culture; Please provide an authenticated copy of the roster maintained for the past six years.
 
Travel on private passports: Provide details of officials who have travelled abroad on private passports for official duties without the proper approval of competent authorities, share copies of the letters, approvals, and documents related to such travel, including those issued before and after the trips.
 
Movement of antiquities and art objects: Provide copies of directives, if any, issued by the ministry of culture concerning the movement of antiquities and art objects from the museum; Share records and documentation related to the security measures and condition reports for the moved objects and antiquities. 
 
Use of hired personnel: Is it true that individuals hired for official work by the National Museum are being utilised as personal attendants or drivers for senior officials, including Mr Deori? If so, provide details of the individuals employed, their assigned duties and any action taken against such misuse of resources.
 
Action on violations: Has the authority acted on any gross violations of government directives regarding foreign deputations, movement of antiquities, or misuse of personnel? If so, please provide details of the actions taken.
 
Dissatisfied with the replies from the central public information officer (CPIO) and the first appellate authority, RTI applicant Mr Sharma filed a second appeal, which was heard on 2 January 2025. 
 
Mr Sharma rued that he was dissatisfied with the ministry’s handling of the RTI query and the lack of a proper and delayed response to his grievances. The CPIO had forwarded his RTI request to the National Museum and the CVC but had not received any response.
 
CIC Heeralal Samariya observed in his order that after determining whether the ministry of culture and the National Museum complied with their obligations under the RTI Act, including providing timely and complete information, he observed that while the information was provided it should have been prompt and not with inordinate delay.
 
Zahid Ali Ansari, deputy curator and administrative officer of the National Museum, and Rakesh Kumar, under-secretary of the ministry of culture, who attended the hearing, stated that the director general of the National Museum had been requested through a letter to give a comprehensive reply but has yet to reply.
 
CIC Samariya directed the public information officers (PIOs) to furnish a copy of their latest written submission to him, along with copies of replies or annexures, to RTI applicant Mr Sharma, within a week of receiving the order and instructed them to submit a compliance report promptly. Timely response is critical to the efficient functioning of the RTI Act, he observed.
 
(Vinita Deshmukh is consulting editor of Moneylife. She is also the convener of the Pune Metro Jagruti Abhiyaan. She is the recipient of prestigious awards like the Statesman Award for Rural Reporting, which she won twice in 1998 and 2005 and the Chameli Devi Jain Award for outstanding media person for her investigation series on Dow Chemicals. She co-authored the book "To The Last Bullet - The Inspiring Story of A Braveheart - Ashok Kamte" with Vinita Kamte and is the author of "The Mighty Fall".)
 
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