In a shocking revelation, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the National Archives of India (NAI) have told the Central Information Commission (CIC) that they are unable to trace files pertaining to the post-Independence Government and its policies concerning privy purses.

The information regarding Cabinet papers, file notings, discussion notes, minutes and such other important policy records concerning the Government and rulers of former princely states was sought by Jaswant Singh, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

In India, the privy purse was a grant given since 1947 to the rulers of the princely states as part of their terms of accession to the new republic, which was abolished in 1971.

The BJP leader had sought the information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and the CIC had in its order last year directed the MHA to open for inspection the relevant files transferred to it by the NAI.

However, Jaswant Singh’s secretary, who was assigned the right to inspect the files as his representative, told the CIC that despite a year’s delay, the MHA could provide only two files which related to peripheral matters devoid of any policy implications and hence “irrelevant” for him. The CIC then summoned the officials concerned from the MHA and NAI to explain things.

While the MHA contended that it could find only two files relating to abolition of the privy purses, the NAI claimed that there were many volumes of the documents and a number of files were still with the ministry and were never sent to them for custody.

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