New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) The president’s secretariat has declined to provide information on a Right To Information (RTI) plea on what transpired between then president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and prime minister Indira Gandhi before the emergency was imposed in 1975.
In reply to a RTI plea, the secretariat cited Article 74 of the constitution which notes that the advice tendered by the cabinet to the president ‘shall not be inquired into in any court’.
RTI activist S.C. Agrawal had asked for the information on the declaration of the emergency by the president, including any communication or advice received from Gandhi.
‘The information sought is covered under the Article 74 of the constitution and hence cannot be disclosed,’ the secretariat said in its reply.
The emergency was imposed under Article 352 of the constitution from June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977. Elections and civil liberties were suspended in 21 month period. It is considered the darkest chapter of Indian democracy.
