Indian
Express: Pune: Sunday, 21 September 2014.
After
information seekers, it is the information commissioners of Maharashtra who
seem to be under “threat”, albeit of a less serious kind. While there has been
no report of physical attack on any of the commissioners yet, verbal and
written “threats” have been received by many, allegedly from disgruntled
applicants who are not satisfied with the functioning of the commissioners. The
“threats” are mainly about starting “indefinite hunger strikes” or launching
protest demonstrations.
Of the six
information commissionerates, such threats have increased mostly in Pune and
Mumbai in the recent years. Pune commissionerate handles the applications filed
under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur and
Kolhapur districts, while the Mumbai commissionerate is the office of the chief
information commissioner of the state. Other than these, there are information
commissioners working in the revenue divisions of Aurangabad, Nashik, Amravati,
Nagpur and Konkan.
As per
provisions of the RTI Act, the information commissioners hear second appeals
filed by people who are aggrieved with the decision of the first appellate
authority. Being a quasi judicial body, the information commissioner has the
powers to fine and reprimand both public information officers and the first
appellate authority.
Senior
officers in the Pune information commissionerate said they received “threats”
three or four times a month on an average. While a majority of the “threats”
pertaining to launching indefinite hunger fasts, some disgruntled applicants
also threaten to start an agitation against the commissioner. Recently, an
applicant had threatened to “throw ink” on the commissioner. The office of the
commissioner had notified the police about the threat.
“Often,
people call the office and threaten to go on hunger strikes against the
commissioner. During such calls, we tell them that they have to give in writing
about their intent to the local police station, otherwise it would be illegal,”
said a senior officer from the commissionerate who claims to have handled many
such calls.
The Pune
commissioner’s office had recently received a letter from an elderly applicant
who said he would “make legal provisions so that after his death his son would
be representing him in the pending second appeal case”. After his case came up
for hearing, he took back his threats.
An analysis
of such calls, according to officers, throws up some interesting points. To
start with, such threats are made only by people who have made multiple appeals
or are serial applicants. In many cases, the anger is directed against the
commissioner when the applicant feels justice has not been delivered,
especially when fines are not imposed on government officer.
Former chief
information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said he had faced such protests
multiple times during his stint. “Once an aggrieved applicant stood outside my
office with a small drum for half an hour and went on saying I was dishonest,”
he said. Gandhi said such incidents were part and parcel of public life. “Yes,
if such applicants hamper functioning of the office, police protection should
be taken, otherwise they are best neglected,” he said.
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