From Harshad Mehta to Nirav Modi, the country has seen the number of financial frauds only growing but when it comes to maintaining the data of scamsters who snatched away taxpayers money, the union finance ministry does not maintain any such list of the scamsters. This information was revealed in a reply given to the RTI application where ministry stated that it does not maintain such data.

Pune based RTI activist Sanjay Shirodkar had filed the RTI with the union finance ministry on February 27 to find out the data of the names of the fraudsters and the amount involved in the fraud after country got the independence to which he received the reply from the ministry on March 27, stating that no such data is maintained by the ministry.

"We have all heard names of fraudsters like Harshad Mehta, Abdul Karim Telgi, Ketan Parekth or recent examples of Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. I was expecting some of these names in the reply to my RTI application but I was shocked to see the reply," Shirodkar told DNA.

According to Shirodkar, he had not sought any confidential information from the finance ministry. "In my RTI application, I had clearly sought the details of the financial frauds happened in the country which were officially recorded, verified, declared and brought in the public domain through our parliament. I had sought these details post-August 15, 1947 that is post-independence."

"It was not the confidential information but the information which finance ministry has shared in the parliament. However, the ministry gave the reply saying that 'no such data is maintained by this department'. I am aghast to receive this reply," he added.

"It is not only the BJP or Congress but all the parties who were in power after the independence have not bother of keeping these records or they thought that it may get them into trouble if they keep these records," Shirodkar said.

According to the RTI activist, he was seeking the information as the taxpayer of the country. "I pay taxes and I have full right to know about the people who have snatched away taxpayers money. However, since these parties might have some vested interest as a result of which they do not want to maintain any such list of scamsters and their scams," he said.

Shirodkar has stated that he will soon be filing an appeal against the reply that he has received.