Exemption 8(1)(i)
RTI: Exemption 8(1)(i)
(i) cabinet papers including records of deliberations of the Council of Ministers, Secretaries and other officers:
Provided that the decisions of Council of Ministers, the reasons thereof, and the material on the basis of which the decisions were taken shall be made public after the decision has been taken, and the matter is complete, or over:
Provided further that those matters which come under the exemptions specified in this section shall not be disclosed;
FOIA has no specific exemption for Council of Ministers, Secretaries and other officers. However the US Supreme Court has held that the President and his close advisors are not “agencies” of US Government. And they are not subjected to FOIA. This has been a constant source of irritation to the public watchdogs in US. There have been several attempts to loosen the secrecy surrounding the White House, unfortunately without success. But RTI language specifically asks that the decisions taken by the Ministers, and the basis on which the decisions were made, shall be made public.