DNA: Mumbai: Monday, July 17, 2017.
The state
information commission has directed the commissioner of police to set up a
committee that can better look after section 4 (suo motu disclosure), form
guidelines, besides asking it to have links that provide information up to the
level of police station.
The
directives were given after an RTI application sought to know details of the
suo motu disclosure, the updates, people responsible for updating information
as mandated under RTI Act, officers responsible, those who did not perform
their responsibility, action taken against them and the citizens charter in
both English and Marathi in various police stations.
The RTI
application was filed by Dadar resident Mahendra Dharod. "I filed the
application because the information provided on the website was not adequate. I
wanted to check compliance of section 4. The existing information was old, the previous
police commissioner's name continued to be on the website. After filing RTI,
the information provided was not adequate and hence I filed a second
appeal," said Dharod, who in his second appeal stated that the public
information officer tried to misguide him.
He stated
that the State Legal Services Authority released a book that provides
information in simple language on how to go about approaching the police for
penal action.
The order was
passed by state information commissioner, Ajit Kumar Jain. During the hearing,
the commission observed that while there is no doubt that section 4 of the RTI
Act has been implemented, there is scope to improvise on the content. It
directed the police commissioner to form a committee headed by whoever it feels
fit, such that it will also have additional commissioner of police, deputy
commissioner of police, assistant commissioner of police among other officers
so that they can formulate a guideline on suo motu disclosure and have such
details that people find easy.
It also
stated that links be provided from police commissioner level to police station
level. It also stated that the committee can have people from the public who
can help in telling police the information that they can provide suo motu.
The
compliance of the order is to be done by July 31 and all information about the
same has to be put up on the website by August 31. "I'm hopeful that the
police will also include citizen charter," said Dharod.
Datta
Padsalgikar, commissioner of police, Mumbai did not respond to SMS from DNA.
CHANGES
SUGGESTED
- The commission directed the police commissioner to form a committee
- It asked for links to be provided from police commissioner level to police station level
- The committee can have people from the public
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