The
repeated denial of information under Right to Information Act regarding the
activities of the Army Polo and Riding Club (APRC) and the manner in which it
is conducting its business using Army resources with virtually no transparency,
has finally led to the filing of an appeal in the Central Information
Commission and a hearing has also taken place in the case.
The
appeal came up for hearing on July 18, 2014 with the appellant, Ex-Major Guneet
Chaudhary appearing in person in the court of CIC. The Army was represented by
Brig Sumar Vir Singh, CPIO/DDG RTI., Lt. Col. Suryanshi, Nodal Officer and Lt.
Col.Rohit Dagar, OC 'B' Squadron of 61 Cavalry.
Maj
Chaudhary insisted that APRC is an Army Club and it is using the sources and
resources of Indian Army. The Chief of Army Staff was the President and all
other officials are also from Indian Army. It has got civilians as members
apart from Army personnel. He also presented details of the funds
collected from the civilians and army personnel by APRC.
He informed
the CIC that the horses of APRC are from the Indian Army and private horses of
the civilians are also stabled in the area, which is a defence area. He also
raised the issue of organizing the Delhi Horse Show, its sponsorship by the
corporate groups and even name the Horse show in the name of corporate Groups.
Maj Chaudhary also raised the issue of foreigners being the member of the Club,
which itself is a security threat.
The Army
stated that it will give written submission about the status of the Army
Polo And Riding Club.
The CIC
passed an order of giving two weeks time to the respondents to file their
written submission regarding the status of Army Polo and Riding club and
thereafter Appellant will take two week time to file his reply.
BACKGROUND
OF THE CASE
The APRC is functioning since 1995 as
an unregistered body under the control of the Indian Army. The Chief of Army Staff was the
President of this Club till May 2013. After
that Quarter Master General of the Indian Army is the President of this Club.
This change in the leadership occurred on the basis of the application filed by
Major Chaudhary under RTI Act 2005 to CPIO of Indian Army to know the status of
the APRC. In response to the RTI Application, CPIO informed that APRC is not a Public Authority, so no
information can be given regarding the functioning of the Army Polo and Riding
Club.
This reply, thus, makes it clear that
despite enjoying all the facilities of the Army and having senior Army officers
as its office bearers, the APRC has been deliberately kept outside the purview
of a public authority. This raises serious questions about the motive to keep
it out of the ambit of public scrutiny.
However, the Army’s reply regarding
APRC not being a public body may not stand legal scrutiny on the basis of the
following facts:
1. The Chief of Army Staff was the President of the Army Polo and
Riding Club till June 2013.
2. The Quarter Master General of the Indian Army is the President
of the APRC at present.
3. APRC is located in the premises of
the ‘B’ Squadron of 61 Cavalry of Indian Army.
4. A serving Colonel of the 61 Cavalry, its Commandant.
5. Army Polo and Riding Club is an Army
Club, and has approximately 861members. Interestingly, Army members(retired and
civilians are 343) and civilian members are 465 in number.
For a civilian to be the member of
the Army Polo and Riding Club he has to purchase an Admission form ( price
printed on the form is Rupees 50/-) but it is given for Rupees 150/. The
details of the fees collected from the Army personnel and Civilians are around
Rs 2,13,90000/- and monthly subscriptions are Rs 10,95,400.
The basic issue concerning the
membership of APRC is whether the Army, being a government body, can allow
membership to civilians and foreigners
6. The sources and resources of the Indian Army are fully used for
the functioning of the APRC.
7. APRC uses the services of RVC Doctors for the medical treatment
of the Horses and RVC provides medical cover to APRC during the conduct of polo
matches.
8. There are reportedly a number of
private horses are stabled in the stables of APRC. Either they are the private
horses of the Officers of Indian Army or the horses of corporate groups. The
misuse of ration of Army Horses of 61 Cavalry can not be ruled out for feeding
the private horses and private owners are charged for it .The government
manpower is used to maintain these horses. How and under what rules, the
private horses are stabled in Army Polo and Riding Club? No answer for this. A
surprise check can be conducted to see how the government resources are being
misused for personal benefits.
9. The APRC organizes polo season every
year from October 15 to December 8. Interestingly, the Club allows team, whose
players are playing members of the Indian Polo Association (IPA) through a Club
or Associations affiliated to IPA.
Interestingly, IPA itself is presently not a recognized sports body by
the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports has admitted this in a RTI reply. Interestingly, Chief of Army Staff is the
President of Indian Polo Association. The intertwined relationship of the APRC
and the IPA can be gauged from the fact that the Commandant of the 61 Cavalry,
is also the Honorary Secretary of the Indian Polo Association (IPA) and Chief
of Army Staff is the President of IPA and all other officials of IPA are senior
officials of Indian Army.
10.The
matches are played at the Army Equestrian Centre in Delhi
Cantonment, which is located in
an area allotted to Army by Defence
Estates. What is the status of Army Equestrian Centre?
11. Army Polo
and Riding Club organizes DELHI HORSE SHOW every year
and collect huge amount of sponsorships from the Corporate
Groups. The sponsorship is to such an extent that
Horse show is named in the name of Corporate
Group ( The Anand, Delhi Horse Show 2013). As per the
Defence Estate Rules no commercial activity
can be undertaken at the Defence land.
12. A number
of Foreign individuals are also the member of the Army Polo
and Riding club, which is functioning entirely in
the Defence Area.
13. The APRC
officials take the message for the brochure of Delhi Horse Show from the
Supreme commander of Armed Forces, Hon’ble President of India, under the cover
of being an Army Club. This further reiterates the fact that it is a Army Club.
14. Despite this clear use of Army
resources, the Army claims in its RTI reply that the APRC is not a public
authority which flies in the face of the definition of public authority under
the RTI Act 2005.
15. The foreign teams are
also permitted to participate in the polo matches organized by the APRC.
The club is not exclusively for
personnel of Indian Army but also
have civilians and foreigners as its member. The basic issue concerning
the membership of APRC is whether the Army, being a government body, can
allow membership to civilians and foreigners.
16.The APRC also takes sponsorship
from corporate houses for organizing polo matches. The sponsorship amount is in
lakhs for different matches. There is no independent audit of the funds
collected for the sponsorships and all audit is through an internal auditor of
the APRC. Needless to say, the counting procedures are in gross contravention
to orders, thus undermining the image of the Services.
17. The fund collected by IPA are
used for the overseas visits of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and other senior
members of the Indian Polo Association and Army Polo And Riding Club. During
the year 2010-2011 as per the balance sheet of the IPA, Rs 18 Lacs were spent
on the visit of the then COAS( Chief of Army Staff) and then Quarter Master
General(that too after his retirement) to Argentina.
Interestingly the CEO of APRC Col
Navjot Singh Sandhu has gone to Argentina
All the above facts make it clear and
an independent and fair probe is needed into the activities of the APRC and the
IPA in order to ascertain how Army facilities are being blatantly used without
any transparency at all.
16. Interestingly, there is
another organization in the name of Army Equestrian Centre, fully controlled by
the Indian Army and an Army Establishment operating from the Defence lands and
public funds to the tune of Rs 1,18,53000 have been allocated to it by the
Army headquarters.
Interestingly, AEC has no Army Horses
neither any staff posted or located for the purpose of training towards
achieving any medals at National or at International level. AEC is basically a
special purpose vehicle created for accommodating the civilian
members of the APRC and for organizing Polo matches, which are
being conducted on behalf of IPA by APRC. This organization provides
venue/infrastructure facilities/polo grounds for the IPA and APRC events and it
is directly under the control of Quarter Master General’s Branch of the Indian
Army. The access to civilians is permitted for the events of IPA. Foreigners
can use these facilities under special permission of the Army
authorities.
It is interesting to note that one
officer of the rank of Major was court-martialled last year for having contact
with a foreign lady visitor to the APRC and disciplinary action was also
taken in the same case against an officer of the rank of Brigadier. It is a big
security threat under the present circumstances to give easy access to
Foreigners in the high security Military area.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports generally gives grants to the different Sports Federation of India and
in its order dated 21 April, 2010, it directed all sports bodies to bring
transparency in the functioning of Sports Federation by appointing Public
Information Officer for RTI Act, failing which no grants will be given.
Amazingly, IPA refused to follow the transparency and did not appoint a PIO
without caring for the grants and had refused to take any grants since 2010. It
might be argued that the IPA chose not to receive grants in order to avoid
appointing a PIO under the RTI Act.
All the above facts make it clear and
an independent and fair probe is needed into the activities of the APRC and the
IPA in order to ascertain how Army facilities are being blatantly used without
any transparency at all. It also needs to be inquired whether there is any
complicity of the higher brass of the Army in order to ensure that the dealings
of APRC and IPA remain opaque and they are kept out of the purview of the RTI
Act for this purpose.
Given the fact that senior Army
officers are involved in the dealings with both these organizations, it will
augur well for the Service to order a probe immediately on the role of its own
officers in these organizations.
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