DNA: Mumbai: Friday, August 18, 2017.
The state
government has filed a writ petition challenging the order by the state
information commission (SIC) which stated that a committee including citizens
be formed to help the government in suo motu disclosure of details under the
Right To Information (RTI).
Former state
chief information commissioner, Ratnakar Gaikwad had passed an order asking for
an institutional mechanism to be put in place including citizens so that there
is better implementation of disclosure of information by the government. Given
on July 31, 2015, it directed the then chief secretary Swadheen Kshatriya who
had told DNA that the order will be complied with.
The
commission order had said that a technical advisory committee (TAC) be formed
on the lines of BMC, which helps the latter better disclose information. The
order was passed after a complaint was filed by Bhaskar Prabhu, a member of the
BMC's TAC seeking measures wherein corrective inputs for better implementation
of RTI Act can be given.
When the SIC
order was not implemented, SK Nangia, an RTI activist filed an application to
check on it. In its reply dated July 17, the government said that the SIC order
has been challenged in the high court.
"They
have challenged that directive which is a stupid move. This does not speak well
of the government because it was a positive directive. The idea of the approach
was to have people's participation in government with the spirit to improve the
suo motu disclosure and compliance of RTI applications. Government officers do
not give proper and full information. With the implementation of this order we
were looking to have a regular dialogue with government," said Nangia.
Prabhu said,
"By challenging the order, the government has shown that it is not
interested in transparency. Even Department of Personnel and Training, the
nodal agency for India in RTI implementation, has issued an advisory that there
will be dialogue with citizens. Maharashtra was the first state to enact its
own transparency law. However, this move does not aid in ensuring
transparency."
Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis did not respond to SMS from DNA.