New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has exempted from the Right To Information (RTI) Act "in the interest of the security of the state", parliament was informed Thursday.

The RTI would cover the CBI only "in respect of ... allegations of corruption and human rights violations", Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy said in the Rajya Sabha.

He said the government got representations that there was no need to exempt the CBI from the act "as there are sufficient provisions not to disclose information likely to impede investigation or prosecution of offenders or which is related to sensitive security issues".

"It has also been stated that the CBI does not fulfil the criteria for exemption from the purview of the act as it is neither a security nor an intelligence organisation," he added.

Narayanasamy said the government, however, decided to categorize the CBI as "a security and intelligence organization" and said this was necessary "in the interest of the security of the state".