The Defence Ministry has rejected Former Army Chief General VK Singh’s Right To Information (RTI) plea seeking a copy of the Army report on the controversial Technical Support Division (TSD) that he had himself set up when at the helm. The rejection was on the grounds that making it public will be prejudicial to national security.
The report suggested that TSD formed during Singh’s tenure carried out unauthorised operations to destabilise Jammu & Kashmir Government and misused funds. Replying to VK Singh’s plea, the Defence Ministry in a communication to him said, “In so far as your request for supply of a copy of the report of Board of Officers headed by Director General Military Operation lt General Vinod Bhatia is concerned, it is regretted that it cannot be supplied.”
The plea was rejected as per Section 8 (1) (a) of the Right to Information Act. This section bars disclosure of information which would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, relation with foreign State or lead to incitement of an offence, sources said here on Friday.
Singh had sought a copy of the report filed by a three-member committee headed by lt General Bhatia and permission to inspect the relevant files at the Defence Ministry related to the case. The former chief had filed the RTI after media reports quoted the report filed by Bhatia saying the TSD was carrying out unauthorised operations to destabilise the Jammu & Kashmir Government.
Bhatia was asked to probe into the functioning of the TSD after allegations surfaced that this unit exceeded its brief and the DGMO in its report to the Government as per media reports indicated that TSD carried out many unauthorised operations. It was also alleged that the TSD misused funds allocated to it. The TSD was also alleged to have tapped telephones of senior Defence Ministry officials and the Army report recommended a CBI probe into functioning of the TSD. However, the Government is yet to take a call on giving the go ahead the CBI in this regard.
The former chief has all along maintained that the TSD was set up to undertake specific tasks with the proper sanction of the Defence Ministry in the wake of 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The Army had denied charges of phone tapping when the allegations surfaced during his tenure. The secret unit was disbanded soon after Bikram Singh took over as the Army chief last year.