Times of India: Chandigarh: Saturday, July 07, 2018.
The state
information commission (SIC) Haryana has imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the
former principal-cum-state public information officer (SPIO) of DAV Girls
College, Yamunanagar, for denying information under the RTI to an assistant professor
of the institute.
Former
principal Sushma Arya is presently posted as registrar of DAV University in
Jalandhar.
In its
orders, the SIC has directed the private university authorities to deduct the
amount from her salary and deposit it with the commission. SIC passed these
orders while hearing an appeal filed by Sushil Kansal. In his RTI application
in December 2016, Kansal had sought information about the duration of teaching
periods, total workload and teaching hours of the college.
Then SPIO
Sushma Arya denied the information on frivolous grounds, citing exemption under
Section 8 of the RTI Act. Thereafter, Kansal filed an appeal with the president
of the governing body of the college, who also upheld the principal’s decision.
When he filed
an appeal before the SIC, the new principal-cum-SPIO, Vibha Gupta provided the
information. However, in its July 5, 2017 orders, the SIC issued a show-cause
notice to former principal, Sushma Arya, asking her to appear personally before
the commission in August 2017 and to explain as to why penalty should not be
imposed on her for denying the information without any valid reason. On May 7,
she had submitted her reply through her counsel.
After hearing
the submissions of both the parties, the SIC rejected all the submissions of
the then SPIO and imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on the former principal. On her
retirement, the principal joined as registrar of a private university near
Jalandhar.
With these
orders, the private university has to deduct this amount from her salary and to
deposit it to the state information commission.
According to
the appellant, he had sought similar information from 50 different private and
government colleges of Haryana. While all the other colleges provided the
information, only the then principal of DAV girls college Yamunanagar had
refused.