Reprive for RTI activist externed from 5 district

Times of India: Rajkot: Sunday, 13 July 2014.

Gujarat home department has quashed the externment order against Right to Information (RTI) activist Ramsinh Mori that was given by sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) at Veraval in Gir-Somnath district on February 5 this year. Gujarat high court had directed the state government to hear Mori's against his externment from five districts and take a decision on it within three months. Mori had been externed from Gir-Somnath, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Rajkot (urban and rural) and Diu.

The HC while refusing to intervene in the issue at this stage had advised the petitioner to avail alternative remedy.

Mori had questioned his two-year externment from five districts and Union Territory of Diu as ordered by Veraval SDM. The externment order followed Mori being accused of using RTI as a tool for blackmailing government offices, schools and fair price shops for personal financial gains. It also mentioned two complaints lodged against him for voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace and obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions.

The order also stated that people were terrified of him and they refrained from lodging a complaint. "If such activities continue, they can have serious implications on law and order in Gir-Somnath district and surrounding areas of Junagadh," the order read.

Mori had appealed against the externment order before the home department which gave a ruling in his favour last week. The home department order reads that the allegations leveled against Mori are vague and there is no specific mention of date and time of his alleged criminal activity. Hence there is no reasonable reason to extern him from the five districts.

It further states that the externment order was issued in a district where the alleged crime did not take place and this is against the nature of justice.

After a series of RTI applications filed by Mori last year, Junagadh district education officer had found prima facie financial irregularities in a scrap auction and initiated an inquiry against a school principal Randhir Mori.