Why in news?

The Prime Ministers’ Museum & Library (PMML) will no longer allow future donors of Private Papers of eminent personalities to impose indefinite conditions on their declassification.

In 2008, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi reclaimed and restricted access to several boxes of papers from Jawaharlal Nehru’s Private Collection that had been previously donated to the museum.

What’s in today’s article?

• Prime Ministers’ Museum & Library (PMML)
• Private Papers of public figures
• Organisation other than the PMML that acquires Private Papers
• Declassification of private papers

Prime Ministers’ Museum & Library (PMML)

• The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) has been renamed as the Prime Ministers’ Museum & Library (PMML).
• NMML was established in the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964).
• It is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
• It is located in the majestic Teen Murti House, the official residence of the first Prime Minister of India.
• It has four major constituents, namely, a Memorial Museum, a library on modern India, a Centre for Contemporary Studies and the Nehru Planetarium.

Private papers of public figures

• About
  • Private papers of public figures are personal documents, correspondence, diaries, manuscripts, and other records belonging to notable individuals, often including politicians, leaders, and influential personalities.
  • These papers provide insights into their personal lives, thoughts, and interactions, and are valuable for historical research and understanding the context of their public roles and contributions.
  • The individual collections have come from families, institutions, universities, and other private donors.
  • The papers are invaluable for an accurate appraisal of the lives and times of these personalities, and essential for an understanding of India’s modern history and its landmark moments.
• Private Papers vs Personal Papers
  • There are essential differences between papers and correspondence that can be deemed personal, as opposed to Private Collections, even if they pertain to the same person.
  • For instance, the correspondence of a President or a Prime Minister with other eminent personalities of the time, or with institutions, can be part of that person’s Private Collection.
    • This is by virtue of these papers being owned by the person’s family or other private individuals.
  • However, correspondence and documents held in personal capacity can become part of personal papers.
• Official Records
  • Official Records constitute another set of papers — these are held by various government departments and ministries.
  • It could comprise letters, records, or file notings, etc. pertaining to the working of various central and state governments.

Organisation other than the PMML that acquires Private Papers

• The other organisation that acquires Private Collections in the country, the National Archives of India.
  • This organization also works under the Ministry of Culture.
• This organization acquires only those papers which the donors agree to declassify.
  • It is the norm to put all records in the public domain, unless in very rare cases, where the concerns may be pressing and pertain to security or sensitivity.

Declassification of private papers

• Conditions imposed by the donors
  • When donors give their private collections to archives and museums, they sometimes make agreements with the institution.
  • These agreements can include conditions on when and how the collections can be made public.
• New Declassification Rules by Ministry of Culture
  • Many donors who gave their private collections to PMML did not specify when these papers could be made public.
  • As a result, PMML keeps and conserves the papers, but cannot make them available to the public or researchers.
  • Because of this, the museum, which is part of the Ministry of Culture, has decided on a new rule.
  • Normally, they will allow only a five-year embargo from the date they receive any new papers.
  • In rare cases, this embargo can be extended to a maximum of ten years.
• Laws governing declassification in India
  • The Public Records Rules, 1997, covers declassification of all kinds of records and correspondence in India.
  • For official records, the Rules say that the responsibility for declassification rests with the respective organisations, and that records should ordinarily be declassified in 25 years.
  • Public Records include any records related to the central government and its ministries, departments, or offices, such as the PMO and the President’s Office.
  • However, the 1997 Rules do not give extensive powers over papers owned by private individuals and families.
  • Access to these private papers is voluntary and can happen through donation or sale of the documents.