Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Raj Bhavan has informed Adv Aires Rodrigues that letters written by former Goa Governor Satya Pal Malik to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister were not available.
In his application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, social activist Adv Rodrigues had sought from Raj Bhavan copies of all the official letters written by Governor Malik to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister during his tenure from November 3, 2019 to August 18, 2020.
The Public Information Officer (PIO) at the Raj Bhavan has informed Adv Rodrigues that the information sought by him was searched but is not available in the files and records of the Raj Bhavan.
The Raj Bhavan has further informed Adv Rodrigues that there is system of Governor directly writing to the higher authorities and that copies of such confidential and personal correspondence is not usually handed over to the Governor’s Secretariat.
Pointing out that the reply received from the Raj Bhavan was absolutely unacceptable, Adv Rodrigues has stated that he would file an appeal against the reply received from the Public Information Officer as the information sought by him was very much part of the Raj Bhavan records.
Expressing concern as to how those letters have now gone missing, Adv Rodrigues has stated that the information sought by him would reveal copies of letters written by then Governor Satya Pal Malik to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the corruption and illegalities by the Dr Pramod Sawant government.
Adv Rodrigues has stated that he would assist the Raj Bhavan to trace those letters and if need be the assistance of then Governor Satya Pal Malik could also be sought.
Adv Rodrigues has stated that the people of Goa are entitled to know the entire contents of those letters written by Satya Pal Malik as Governor of Goa to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister as these letters are not exempt from disclosure in terms of Section 8 of the RTI Act.