On Saturday, Jashodaben, wife of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, filed a fresh RTI application at the State Information Commission in Gandhinagar, challenging the February 6 Order of Mehsana RTI appellate authority, which denied her information she wanted under RTI in November, 2104, about her security and privileges as PM’s spouse.
As per February order, Mehsana District Police Superintendent J R Mothalia had denied Jashodaben the information, arguing that it came under LIB department and as per a 2005 circular of Gujarat Government’s home department, the LIB was exempted from providing the information.Distressed by the stonewalling of attempts made by her to get information under RTI twice, Jashodaben may go to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister, said her nephew, Sandip Modi, who is her advocate.
She objected over her being addressed by her maiden name, instead of her married one. In her application, she has reasserted her legally married name of Jashodaben Narendrabhai Modi, overturning the RTI reply, given to her by Mehsana Public Information Officer (PIO), which simply referred to her as “Shrimati Jashodaben, daughter of Chimanlal Modi”.
Jashodaben came to the Information Commissioner’s office with Sandip Modi on Saturday to file the application. Sandip Modi told The Sunday Express, “We have filed an application, challenging the order given to us in February. How can they (authority) change the status of her name — Jashodaben Narendrabhai Modi? The order mentions her as Jashodaben Modi, daughter of Chimanbhai Modi. Most of our queries and grievances are related to her security concerns. We have asked for a copy of the order regarding her security as PM’s spouse.We have enquired on the protocol that Jashodaben gets being the Prime Minister’s wife and also as to why the guards keep no identity cards or do not give any information as to whom they report to or by whose order they have been posted at Unjha. My aunt was planning of going to Delhi to PM’s office very soon.” Sandip averred that after filing the application, Jashodaben met with a few IB range officials at Gandhinagar to air her grievances and also made an unscheduled visit to the office of the Minister of State for Home, Rajnikant Patel, but he was unavailable.
A high-ranking official from the state information commission office confirmed receiving the application. He said, “We have received Jashodaben Modi’s application today. However, it is yet to be considered. As a normal procedure, if a person is not agreeing to the reply by the PIO, then they have to make first appeal at the same place where they filed the RTI. If they are still not satisfied by the information given by the first appellate authority, they can file the second appeal.
