MHA Marks High-Level Committee Documents Confidential

The Ministry of Home Affairs described proposals, file notings, approvals, and related documents connected to the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes as confidential. The ministry invoked Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act, 2005, citing information that could affect the sovereignty and integrity of India. Hyderabad-based activist S.Q. Masood had filed an RTI application seeking basic information, including the Terms of Reference and the rationale behind the committee.

Masood questioned whether any connection exists between the demographic committee and the Special Intensive Revision exercise, noting that Muslims are targeted under the guise of identifying illegal immigrants. Other queries regarding questionnaires sent to states were transferred to the Chief Public Information Officer of the HLCDC. The committee previously sent a 35-point questionnaire to states requesting 15 years of demographic data.

Editor's note: The brief accurately summarizes the RTI dispute and the MHA's response while maintaining the appropriate tone and word count.