the Chhattisgarh government has declined to make public the memorandum of understanding (mou) it had signed with Tata Steel and Essar Steel to set up steel plants in the predominantly tribal district of Bastar. A Raipur-based businessman had sought details of the mou under the Right to Information (rti) Act, 2005. But the deputy secretary of the state commerce and industry ministry refused his request saying the mou has a clause against disclosing its details to a third person without the signatories' consent.

But legal experts say the rti Act overrides any such conditions. In case the information is treated as