Intelligence Bureau (IB)

About Intelligence Bureau (IB)

• IB is an internal intelligence agency of India which is used to gather intelligence from within India and also execute counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism tasks.
• In addition to domestic intelligence responsibilities, the IB is particularly tasked with intelligence collection in border areas, following the 1951 recommendations of the Himmatsinhji Committee (also known as the North and North-East Border Committee), a task entrusted to military intelligence organizations, prior to independence in 1947.
• It comes under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The IB activities are highly confidential, and no publications other than the internal ones reveal their arcane workings.
• Other Functions:
  • Another major activity of the IB is passing on intelligence information to other Indian intelligence agencies as well as the police.
  • It is responsible for granting basic safety clearances to Indian diplomats and judges before their national oath.
  • It is also authorized to carry out wiretapping without a warrant.
• Composition:
  • The Bureau comprises employees from law enforcement agencies, mostly from the Indian Police Service (IPS) or the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), and the military.
  • The Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB) has always been an IPS officer.

Q1) What is the Right To Information (RTI) Act, 2005?

It is a law enacted by the Parliament of India "to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens. The Right to Information is derived from our fundamental right of Expression under Article 19 of the Constitution of India. The Act applies to all States and Union Territories of India. Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen may request information from a "public authority" (a body of Government or "instrumentality of State") by making an application in writing or through electronic means. The information seeker is not required to give reasons for seeking information.

Source: Intelligence Bureau Exempt From Rigours Of RTI Act: Delhi High Court