6,000 RTI cases pending in Assam A total of 6,220 cases of RT I complaints and appeals are pending in the office of the Assam Information Commission where the post of information commissioner remains vacant.
The Assam Information Commission has three sanctioned posts – a chief information commissioner and two information commissioners. However, one post of information commissioner has been lying vacant since the tenure of Mohan Chandra Malakar, a retired principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), expired in March 2014, he added.
Das, a retired additional chief secretary in the Assam government, had assumed charge on December 1, 2014. His post had been lying vacant since January 2011, when his predecessor D.N. Dutt’s term expired. When Das took charge, both the posts of information commissioners were vacant, following the expiry of the tenures of the previous incumbents, and more than 6,000 cases were pending. .
265 officers fined over Rs 22 lakh for refusing information under the RTI Act
As many as 265 public information officers across Karnataka have been penalised for a total of Rs 22,44,500 during the last 10 months for denying information under the RT I Act. As per the RT I Act 2005, public information officers have to provide information u/s. 7(1) within 30 days. RT I Commissioner Shankar R. Patil has recommended disciplinary action against the officers, including many senior officers of urban development, revenue and education departments, BBMP, BDA, AC’s, Additional Deputy Commissioners and tahsildars for their failure to provide information without any valid reason. .
Delhi HC imposes costs on RTI applicant for filing vague and irrelevant RTI queries
The Delhi High Court, in Shail Sahni vs. Valsa Sara Mathew, took an RTI applicant to task for filing vague and irrelevant RT I queries. Justice Man Mohan of Delhi High Court imposed costs of Rs. 25,000 on the applicant who approached had High Court seeking compensation of Rs. 4 lakh. The RT I applicant had approached the High Court challenging the CIC order refusing to intervene in denial of RT I replies to the queries she posed to Ministry of Defence. He submitted that CIC has committed an error in holding that Commission’s interference is not required in the matter. The Court, after perusing the applications filed by him, opined that that they are general, wide, ambiguous and vague. The Court also observed that the petitioner-applicant had approached High Court earlier too, in which the Court had dismissed his petition and observed that the “misuse of the RTI Act has to be appropriately dealt with, otherwise the public would lose faith and confidence in this “sunshine Act”. A beneficent statute, when made a tool for mischief and abuse must be checked in accordance with law”. Despite the aforesaid judgment, the petitioner continued to file filing general, irrelevant and vague queries, which was dismissed by the court with costs of Rs.25,000 to be paid by the petitioner to the Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi within a period of three weeks, Justice Manmohan said. However, the Court also observed that if the petitioner-applicant were to file a fresh application with the PIO prioritising his requirement and identifying the precise information, the same shall be supplied.
Mumbai University offers a sixmonth PG certificate course in Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The Department of Civic and Politics, which is designing the course content and identifying the subjects in the curriculum will hold classes for this academic session from 16th January 2016. To mark this occasion, the University had organised an inaugural function in its Kalina Campus which was attended by RT I activist Nikil Dey, former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi and Chief Information Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad. Vice-chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh. Admission process for the course has already begun and university is targeting social activists, PIOs, journalists, bureaucrats and members of civil society to ensure more effective use of the RT I. Information activist who doled out lakhs as RT I fee was felicitated.
Arunachal RT I Activist Forum (ART IAF) felicitated Mr. Nabam Pali for his effort to reduce the RT I application fee from Rs. 10 to 2 in the state, in Itanagar, Arunachal Press Club (APC) President Chopa Cheda while felicitating Nabam Pali in a simple yet impressive function congratulated him for achieving the feat.
