CIC dismisses 10 appeals in one order as applicant remains absent

Business Standard: New Delhi: Wednesday, July 04, 2018.

The Central Information Commission dismissed 10 appeals filed by an applicant, saying he was not interested in pursuing the matters diligently and his appeals would clog the RTI administration system.

Information Commissioner Yashovardhan Azad said Harpal Singh Rana filed more than 83 appeals and complaints against various authorities and he never chose to appear before the commission in all such instances of past hearing.

Ten appeals of Rana related to the Delhi government came up for hearing before Azad recently when all officials concerned were present, obeying advance notices of the commission, but Rana remained absent.

Activist Subhash Agrawal who appeared for the government said Rana was a habitual information seeker who kept on sending RTI requests to offices of the chief minister, the GNCTD which were related to other public authorities.

Citing the presence of 25 government officials for the hearing, Agrawal said that almost every RTI application of Rana travelled up to the commission but he never appeared for hearing.

Arguing the case of the Delhi government, Agrawal told the commission that it resulted in wastage of time of the public authorities, firstly by replying to incessant RTI queries and then, by defending their replies before the panel.

After hearing Agrawal, Azad noted that Rana neither appeared for hearing nor advanced any submissions in support of his appeals.

The commission draws adverse inference from the acts of appellant in making repeated RTI applications with the respondent public authorities and registering second appeals with this commission coupled with unexplained absence in pursuing the matters diligently, Azad said.

He said Rana's act of clogging the system of RTI administration was an inherent threat to legitimate information seekers and establishment of a practical regime of RTI in the nation.

The commission is left with no doubt that the appellant falls within the category of applicants, who...allowed to go unchecked would definitely ruin the goal of achieving a practical regime of Right to Information, he said dismissing his 10 appeals in one go.