The central information commission (CIC) has rebuked the ministry of external affairs for failing to disclose the information on Indian citizens holding accounts in foreign banks.

After the MEA contended that it did not have any details of black money located in tax heavens, the information authority directed the ministry to submit an affidavit declaring the same by Thursday.

“The commission directs the CPIO, MEA to submit his affidavit affirming on oath on a non-judicial stamp paper the fact that neither any list of the account holders nor any other information about such investigation, information whereof has been sought by the applicant is available on record,” information commissioner Annapurna Dixit ruled.

Promod Chawla had filed a RTI application with the cabinet secretariat demanding details of black money stashed in foreign banks.

Among other things, Chawla asked if the governments of Switzerland had passed any information to India on accounts held by Indian citizens in their banks and details of such accounts.

The cabinet secretariat forwarded the application to the MEA, which informed the applicant that it did not hold any such information. MEA also informed the ministry of finance was renegotiating the double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) with Switzerland.

The applicant then moved the CIC.

The CIC intervention comes in the backdrop of the supreme court's stinker for the centre over its reluctance in sharing information on Indian nationals believed to have deposited black money in Swiss bank accounts.

The SC bench comprising justice B. Sudershan Reddy and justice S.S. Nijjar asked solicitor general Gopal Subramanium that when the German government had informed the government of India about the Indian citizens holding account in Liechtenstein Bank, then what was the basis of not disclosing the same.