Business Standard: New Delhi: Monday, August 21, 2017.
The Central
Information Commission (CIC) has imposed the maximum penalty of Rs 25,000 under
the RTI Act on a Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal official
for not providing information within stipulated time frame.
Information
Commissioner Bimal Julka had noted that the CIC took a serious view of the
"lackadaisical/callous" attitute of Assistant Registrar and Chief
Public Information Officer of the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate
Tribunal (CESTAT) Kripa Shankar, who did not bothered to comply with his
duties.
Julka said
the information sought by activist and lawyer R K Jain, regarding proceedings
of the tribunal and orders, has not been provided by Shankar despite the CIC
orders.
In response
to the CIC notice, the CESTAT Assistant Registrar put blame on his head clerk,
saying the application was not presented before him and also that he was not
informed about the pendency of the application.
The CESTAT is
an independent forum to hear the appeals against orders and decisions passed by
the Commissioners of Customs and Excise under the Customs Act.
Rejecting his
contentions, Julka said apportioning the blame on the Head Clerk by the
respondent (Shankar) exposed the conduct and discipline exercised by the
respondent in the functioning of the public authority which is inappropriate
and unpardonable.
"The
Commission takes a serious view of the lackadaisical callous attitude adopted
by the CPIO (respondent no 4) who has not bothered to comply with his duties as
per the provisions of the RTI Act, 2005," he said.
The CIC
directed the CESTAT to recover the amount of Rs 25,000 in five equal instalment
of Rs 5,000 each from the salary payable to Shanker.
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