The Centre on Thursday told the Andhra Pradesh high court that certain “secret” contents of the Justice Srikrishna Committee report would not be made public.
Additional solicitor-general Vivek Tanka, submitting the Centre’s view before Justice L. Narasimha Reddy said that the “secret note” submitted by the Justice Srikrishna
Committee was a privileged document under Sections 123 and 124 of the Indian Evidence Act 1872, and the government was not in favour of making the note public. He filed a counter-affidavit on behalf of the Union government, which made it clear that Chapter 8 of the Srikrishna Committee Report, based on reports and assessment made on the ground, dealt with administrative and other measures that the government would have to adopt.
The affidavit further clarified that the secret note does not contain anything that would be relevant to the general public in forming an opinion in favour of or against the demand for a separate state of Telangana.
“For this reason the committee has submitted that chapter as a secret note. This report is an internal matter of the government and hence there cannot be cause for judicial review,” the Centre submitted. The Centre filed the affidavit pursuant to a direction of the court on a petition filed by the former MP M. Narayana Reddy.