CID Gujarat summons 300 RTI activists in extortion investigation

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Crime Investigation Department (CID) announced on Wednesday that it has summoned approximately 300 Right to Information (RTI) activists across the state to verify their credentials and investigate the purposes for which they utilized the information obtained under the RTI Act.

This action comes after the Ahmedabad-based RTI activist Mahendra Patel was booked in four cases of alleged extortion since January. It is learned that the activists summoned are linked to Mahendra through social media platforms, and these summonses have been issued under Section 91 of the Criminal Procedure Code which authorizes the department to summon individuals to produce necessary documents or materials for any investigation.

“We have chosen to proactively verify the credentials of around 300 other RTI activists and also ascertain the purposes for which they utilized the information obtained from various departments,” stated Superintendent of Police CID (Crime) Mukesh Patel.

A most recent complaint was filed against Mukesh Patel by a school in Surat, from which Patel obtained some information via RTI and later threatened the school with license revocation. He extorted around 66 lakh from the school. Mahendra has been booked under sections 384, 389, and 170 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). DeshGujarat