TNN, Oct 31, 2010,
Mumbai: Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) for Maharashtra Suresh Joshi has directed the home department to initiate a departmental inquiry and take action against officials for a 23-day delay in replying to an activist, who had sought information related to the Pune gang rape case.
The order came recently after S K Nangia, an RTI activist from Charkop, asked the home department to furnish details regarding the setting aside of an externment order against Subhash Bhosale, the main accused in the gang rape case. Nangia had asked for documents such as the externment order, the appeal filed by Bhosale, departmental observations and the order issued by the home department , to be made available to him.
However, the activist was not given these documents even 30 days after he filed the query. Nangia then filed an appeal with the appellate authority in the home department . "After the appeal, the appellate authority wrote back saying that the relevant information is being sought from another department and will be made available to me as soon as the department gets it," said Nangia. "I was also asked to pay Rs 50 for the information , which is against the law. According to the law, information made available after the stipulated 30-day period should be free."
Joshi, in his order, has now asked the joint secretary (home) to provide all the details to the activist immediately . He has also asked the joint secretary to explain why it took 23 days for the application to reach the Public Information Officer from the receipt branch at Mantralaya.
"We hope that the babus won't sit on RTI queries," said Nangia.
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