Jasneet Bindra; Indian Express; Thu Sep 23 2010; Chandigarh:
A full Bench of the Punjab State Information Commission, comprising CIC R I Singh, SICs Lt Gen PK Grover (Retd) and Surinder Singh, served a showcause notice on the public information officer (PIO) of Ludhiana’s Sutlej Club on Tuesday for failing to provide information to an applicant. The club was declared a public authority under the RTI Act over two months ago.
S S Chana, the applicant, had sought information regarding establishment, organisation structure and accounts of the club. The bench served a show-cause notice, asking why penalty should not be imposed on the PIO for not providing information.
“In addition to a written reply, which he may file, the PIO has also been given opportunity of a personal hearing before imposition of penalty on the next date of hearing,” the bench said. In case he fails to file a reply and does not avail of the personal hearing opportunity, the commission will proceed against him ex parte. The case will come up for hearing on September 27.
During the last hearing, after perusal of various records, the bench had come to the conclusion that the club was not “a purely private body”, as it was substantially financed by the government, besides the Ludhiana DC was its ex officio president. The commission had verified the ownership of the land through the office of the Ludhiana deputy commissioner, too.
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