New Delhi: Can you cheer a sportsperson or a team of foreign origin? Do you have the right to raise the flag of another country within the territory of India? The Ministry of Home Affairs or MHA says it has no information on the subject.
The questions were asked by Bathinda-based activist Harmilap Grewal through the Right To Information Act or RTI.
"The information is not available with the undersigned chief public information officer (CPIO). The requisite information may be available with the Ministry of External Affairs. Therefore, your application is being transferred to Bharath Kumar Kuthati, Director CPIO, RTI Cell, MEA, under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, 2005, for providing the requisite information directly to you," the Ministry said in its response to hoisting flags of other countries.
In the past, police cases have been filed against people cheering or celebrating opposing teams' win, particularly Pakistan.
Asked to name the teams, citizens cannot cheer for, the Ministry again transferred the query to another ministry.
"The information is not available with the undersigned CPIO. The requisite information may be available with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Therefore, your application is being transferred to Neelam Arora, Under Secretary & CPIO, RTI-PG, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, 2005, for providing the requisite information directly to you," the MHA said on the issue of cheering foreign teams.