Daily Pioneer: Chandigarh: Wednesday, May 30, 2018.
For
unnecessarily refusing to provide information sought under the Right to
Information (RTI) Act, the Punjab State Information Commission on Tuesday
imposed Rs 10,000 fine on the Public Information Officer doctor, besides
ordering Rs 5,000 compensation to the complainant.
The fine
amount would be deducted from the salary of Dr Karamjit Singh, appointed as the
Public Information Officer (PIO) at Mohali Civil Hospital, in two installments
and to be deposited the same in the government treasury.
The
Commission has also instructed the office of Mohali Civil Surgeon to give a
compensation of Rs 5,000 to the complainant as a public authority. “The order
has been passed by State Information Commissioner Yashvir Mahajan on a
complaint filed by Mohali-resident Tej Kar who had sought information regarding
a case from Mohali Civil Hospital under the RTI Act, but the then PIO Dr
Karamjit forensic expert (now posted as additional assistant commissioner
Roopnagar under-training) arbitrarily delayed to give information,” said the
Commission spokesperson. Spokesperson pointed that despite the State
Information Commission’s intervention, the matter remained pending for a
year.During the hearing of the case, the PIO refuted to give the information on
the pretext of ‘state property’. “When the Information Commission ordered to
give the information, Dr Karamjit, on the next hearing, requested the
Commission that a record has been lost during the transit period, and an FIR
had been registered in this regard,” added the spokesperson.