Central Chronicle; United News of India; Panaji; Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Goa Cricket Association (GCA) has moved the Bombay High Court, challenging the order of the Goa State Information Commission which had ruled that the GCA comes under the ambit of the Right to Information Act.
The petition will come up for hearing before the vacation judge of the Bombay High Court at Goa Justice N A Britto on November 10.
On a complaint filed by Advocate Aires Rodrigues, the State Chief Information Commissioner Motilal Keny had on October 7 in a 23-page landmark order directed the Goa Cricket Assocation to furnish Advocate Rodrigues within 30 days the information sought by him on the fees paid by the GCA to its lawyer Subodh Kantak.
The State Chief Information Commissioner ruled that the government notification dated July 8, 2010 that sports organizations and Sports Associations recognized by Sports Authority of Goa are covered under the RTI Act was binding on the GCA.
After Advocate Rodrigues sought information from the GCA on the fees paid to their lawyer Mr Kantak, the cricket body which is headed by Goa’s former Law Minister Dayanand Narvekar took a stand that it does not come under the purview of the RTI Act.
Rodrigues, in a release here today, said the GCA claimed that the Right to Information Act was not applicable to it as it had not received any financial or other assistance from the Goa Government or the Sports Authority of Goa.
However, Rodrigues submitted documentary proof to the effect that the Goa Government had granted to the GCA on a 99-year-lease land admeasuring 1,30,328 sq meters at Tivim for the construction of a cricket stadium at a nominal rent of Rs 50,000/- per year.
Rodrigues also submitted evidence that the Sports Authority of Goa had also given GCA financial assistance of Rs 50 lakhs.
Rodrigues submitted further evidence to the effect that the Sports Authority of Goa was also paying the salaries of cricket coaches given to the GCA, the release added.
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