Principal Secretary (home) R M Srivastava said to have invited controversy over his remarks reportedly made on a note-sheet while replying to a query placed under Right to Information (RTI) Act. He reported directed the director general of police to stop social and RTI activist Nutan Thakur from making any correspondence with the government in future. Interestingly Nutun’s husband Amitabh Thakur, who is an officer of IPS cadre was too RTI activist.

Raising objection over alleged remarks of RM Srivastave mentioned in the note-sheet of her RTI, social activist Nutan Thakur questioned that whether a governmentservant had powers to stop a private person from corresponding with the GovernmentIJ She claimed that no law in our country says so and said that it seems that IAS officers are above all law.
Nutan Thakur claimed that the above remarks were made in an order which was made by Principal Secretary (Home)RM Srivastava regarding her RTI query. She said that as per RTI information sought her from the government, RM Srivastava got so annoyed by two of her letters that he wrote in the Notesheet that Nutan Thakur be directed through the DGP not to communicate with the Government in future. She said that it was interesting that Chief Secretary Jawed Usmani did not agree with the recommendation of Principal Secretary Home and ordered that this was not needed.

Nutan Thakur claimed to have previously sent two letters to the Chief Secretary citing her husband Amitabh Thakur’s instances requesting inquiry into certain irregularities in departmental enquiries and promotions of IPS officers. She said that Srivastava not only refused this request, he went to the extent of calling her depressed, seeking ban on any further correspondence by her, that too not by himself but through the DGP, forgetting in this process that neither he nor the DGP has any authority to stop a private person from corresponding with Government in future, claimed Nutan Thakur.