RTI activists take potshots at guv

TNN, Dec 19, 2010,

PANAJI: The highest office in the state has now become the focus of the wrath of Right to Information (RTI) activists.

The Goa RTI forum has passed a resolution at its meeting on Saturday condemning "the stand taken by the governor that he will not provide information under the RTI Act on the ground that he is not a public authority under the act". The activists have vowed to make the Goa governor answerable under the RTI Act after he declined information to an activist late last month.

The roomful of RTI activists alleged that the Goa governor, S S Sidhu, is involved in the state government's conspiracy to deny information under the RTI Act to citizens. At the meeting in Panaji, participants were supplied with copies of the RTI application submitted by activist Aires Rodrigues to the governor's office on November 29 seeking to know the action taken by the governor or correspondence processing the complaints submitted by Rodrigues earlier to the governor against the advocate general of Goa, Subodh Kantak.

The special secretary to the governor, N Radhakrishnan, replied to Rodrigues on December 1 stating that in an RTI case, the governor's office has submitted an affidavit to the High Court of Bombay at Goa stating that "the governor is not a 'public authority' under the Right to Information Act, 2005. Pending the decision of the high court in this matter, it is not possible for this office to respond to your request."

President of the Goa Union of Journalists Prakash Kamat criticized this stand of the governor at Saturday's meeting.

"The governor cannot cite the stay granted in one case and refuse information to all RTI applicants as long as the case is pending in the high court. The governor's office has been notified under the RTI Act as a public authority and he cannot deny information to people. People and activists in Goa are well aware of their rights and cannot be taken for a ride."

But taking notice of a call to citizens in local dailies to join the RTI meeting, the Raj Bhavan issued a clarification beforehand stating, "It is clarified that in September 2007 an application was received by the Raj Bhavan office seeking certain information which was not supplied in view of the exemption available under the RTI Act, 2005. The matter subsequently reached before the Hon'ble High Court of Bombay at Panaji Bench which was pleased to grant a stay in the matter in favour of the Raj Bhavan office."

"Since the final verdict is yet to be received, this office has not been furnishing information under the RTI Act to avoid legal complications," the clarification states.

Speaking at the meeting, advocate Aires Rodrigues said that the people of Goa may have to demand the recall of the governor for non-compliance with a very important law passed by the Parliament. "The Goa governor's petition before the high court pertaining to a particular information sought by the leader of the opposition is no license or grounds for a blanket refusal by the governor to comply with the RTI act. It is deplorable that the governor of Goa as head of the state is himself scuttling the RTI Act which was enacted to ensure transparency and accountability in the functioning of the administration."

Head of the Goa RTI Forum, advocate Satish Sonak said, "The governor should foresake his fat salary if he does not want to fulfill his duties. We do not believe that even he believes this lame excuse he has given that he is not a public authority under RTI."