Home Ministry Blocks RTI Request on Demographic Changes Committee

The Ministry of Home Affairs has labeled proposals and documents connected to the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes as confidential. This decision came while the ministry was dealing with a Right to Information application filed by Hyderabad-based activist S.Q. Masood.

RTI Response and Queries

Mr. Masood had used a series of queries to seek the Terms of Reference of the committee, along with file notings, approvals, and official communications. In response, the Home Ministry stated that the information is exempted from disclosure under Section 8(1)(a) of the Right to Information Act of 2005. This section deals with information that would affect the sovereignty and integrity of India. However, the ministry noted that the Terms of Reference, appointment, and constitution order are available online.

Activist Reaction

Mr. Masood stated that he only sought basic information, including who proposed the exercise to the government and why it was proposed. He also pointed out that Muslims in the country were already being targeted under the name of identifying illegal immigrants and through the Special Intensive Revision exercise. He added that it is important to know if any connection exists between the demographic committee and the Special Intensive Revision. Meanwhile, queries regarding letters, questionnaires, forms, and data templates sent to States and Union Territories were transferred to the Chief Public Information Officer of the committee.

Committee Questionnaire

The committee had previously sent a 35-point questionnaire to States and sought data on demographic changes spanning 15 years. This included a religion-wise breakup of births, school and college enrollments, ration cards, vehicle registrations, property transactions, and voter registrations. A large section of this data deals with district-wise and religion-wise information covering Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis.

Context

The Right to Information Act allows authorities to withhold documents if disclosure harms national security or sovereignty. Activists frequently use this law to seek transparency on government panels and official policy decisions.