India, Oct. 13 -- The Forest Department has refused to provide post-mortem reports of cheetahs that died at Kuno National Park, citing concerns that disclosure could adversely affect India's relations with foreign countries.

In response to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the department said Project Cheetah is a national project of the Government of India, implemented through international cooperation. The department said it has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with foreign countries for the project, and disclosing the requested information could affect India's relations with them. The department invoked Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act, 2005, to claim exemption from sharing the records.

The Kuno Di...