Relief for babus as HC stays order to furnish property details

TNN, Dec 25, 2010,

HYDERABAD: In an order that would give relief to the babus of AP, Justice Ashutosh Mohunta of the AP High Court on Friday granted stay on the operation of an order passed by the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of the state that made mandatory the furnishing of immovable property details of IAS, IPS and IFS officers of the state.

Adarshnagar Mutually Aided Co-operative Housing Society Limited, represented by M C Pargaien filed a writ petition challenging the orders of the CIC.

The petitioner told the court that O M Debera, an RTI activist, had sought details of immovable property returns filed by their society members and also the members of Kohinoor Civil Services Mutually Aided Co-Operative Housing Society during the year 2006-2008. He said that the state government had rejected the application of Debera and he preferred an appeal before the chief commissioner. A full Bench of the RTI commission passed an order directing the authorities to provide the information sought by the appellant free of cost under the RTI Act.

The petitioner contended that furnishing of particulars of members of the both the societies was not sustainable under the provisions of RTI Act. This Act cannot be revoked to seek information from the Co-Operative Housing Society, which is not a public authority as defined under Section 2(H) of the RTI Act. The petitioner argued that the information sought for was not a public document.

The judge granted interim order by suspending the implementation of the order.