Applicant complains of receiving threat

Jasneet Bindra : Thu Sep 09 2010 : Chandigarh :

RTI ACT : Such behaviour will call for penal action: SIC to PIO

A Patiala-based RTI applicant has complained to the Punjab State Information Commission that an official of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) threatened and pressurised him to withdraw his application.

This is the third case to have come to the commission in the last few months where the complainant has alleged receiving threats from the public authority.

Taking a strong note of the complaint, State Information Commissioner Jaspal Kaur told the public information officer (PIO) concerned: “Such behaviour towards information seekers should not be repeated in future. Repeat of such mistake will call for penal action under the provisions of the RTI Act.”

Ashok Verma had filed the RTI application in May this year with the office of PSPCL deputy director in Patiala, seeking details of the money transferred from one Parveen Kumar’s account. Not satisfied with the response he received, he moved the information commission in July.

In the complaint, Verma said instead of supplying correct information, the respondent threatened him. He also placed on record a letter written by the official to get it signed by him as acknowledgment of having received the information sought. He said since he did not accede to this, the senior executive engineer “deliberately” supplied incomplete information. According to the documents he received, the balance amount of Parveen Kumar was transferred to the account of one Neelam Rani.

He wrote to the Deputy Secretary, RTI Cell, PSPCL, the next day, seeking a copy of the rules under which the power corporation transferred the amount to Neelam Rani’s account

.The SIC took a serious note of the issue and warned the PIO to be more careful in future while dealing with RTI applications.

In one such case reported in June, Ripu Daman Ohri of Naya Nangal in Ropar had told the commission that since he was harassed and beaten up at the behest of the authorities concerned and no action was taken by the police, he wanted to withdraw the appeal. But his request by turned down by the panel. Ohri had sought information from the office of Hoshiarpur deputy commissioner.

In another such case reported last month, the information commission had asked state police chief P S Gill to immediately hold an inquiry into the complaint of a Ludhiana-based RTI activist Davinder Khurana, who had alleged intimidation by officials of the district food and supply department.