Any wrongdoing within a government agency should be exposed without revealing matters pertaining to national security, said former CBI Director D R Karthikeyan.

"If something wrong is going on, somebody has to expose it. There is nothing wrong about it as truth cannot be defamed. It must come out in public domain since the government agencies run on tax payers' money," Karthikeyan told PTI in Mumbai.

The former CBI director's remark came in the wake of the premiere investigating agency's recent raids at the residence of a former senior official belonging to the country's external intelligence arm Research and Analysis Wing.

CBI had booked Maj Gen (retd) V K Singh under Official Secrets Act for allegedly disclosing confidential matters he had dealt with, during his tenure with RAW in his book India's External Intelligence: Secrets of RAW.

The book spoke about alleged political interference and corruption in the intelligence agency.

However, certain confidential matters pertaining to national security must not be revealed, Karthikeyan added.

"I cannot take a stance on CBI's actions, as it is for the judiciary to do so. But one cannot deny the fact that there should be more transparency in governance. To what extent the government can reveal can be assessed on case by case basis," the former CBI director said.

Karthikeyan, who has written a book on the conspiracy behind assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and its aftermath, narrating his own experience, said attempts were made to 'influence' his investigation.

"I won't reveal the names, but it is true that attempts were made to influence my investigation while writing the book titled Triumph of Truth. But I did not budge from my stand of completing the book at any cost," he said.

Despite knowing that some people were not happy with his work, Karthikeyan remained firm and completed the book.

"I am not here to make others happy by doing what they want me to do. Truth is every thing for me. It is also true that consequently the authorities will not offer you glamorous positions, but that was never on my agenda," he said.