Overview
- The Madhya Pradesh State Information Commission has summoned Kuno field director Uttam Kumar Sharma to appear in hearings after an activist challenged withheld RTI responses.
- The summon covers three of four RTI petitions filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey and follows a hearing that questioned why records were denied under Sections 8(1)(a) and 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act.
- Dubey says his 2024 RTI requests sought cheetah blood tests, post-operative and post-mortem reports, tranquilisation permission records, CCTV and visitor entry logs, and that some replies demanded extra fees.
- A 2024 inspection by Madhya Pradesh forest authorities found 110 tranquilisations of cheetahs between 2022 and 2024 and flagged poor veterinary registers, a finding central to concerns about animal welfare and record-keeping.
- If the commission finds violations it can impose penalties, order disclosure or recommend a departmental probe, and the petitioner has asked the National Tiger Conservation Authority to carry out an independent investigation.