Ahmedabad
Mirror: Ahmedabad: Tuesday, 02 December 2014.
The State Information
Commission (SIC) is still to act upon a high court order more than a month
after it was passed, petitioner Dahyabhai Valjibhai Chavda has alleged. Chavda
had petitioned Gujarat High Court after what he calls denial of justice by the
commission. The high court passed an order in September and it was put up
online in October. Chavda had alleged irregularities in the scholarship for
students at DGP High School in Bhavnagar where he worked as assistant teacher
since 1983. A resident of Nilam palace compound in Bhavnagar, Chavda is said to
have given evidence and statements against the school principal and clerks who
were involved in the irregularity.
"Following
this, the school set up an inquiry against me alleging that I ate tobacco, used
mobile phone during school hours. The five-member committee gave a report
against me following which my service was terminated," Chavda told Mirror.
"Since then I started asking for proofs not only about my removal, but
also regarding irregularities in the scholarship scheme. I gathered papers and
evidence on the basis of which I made complaints against the school authority,
staff of DEO office to the chief minister, home department, education minister
and education commissioner. When he got no response, the 56- year-old former
teacher took recourse to RTI.
"Hearing
of my appeals started in October, 2013. In the initial 10 appeals, the
information commissioner gave orders against the district education
officers," he said. The trials for the appeals were conducted on June 16
and June 25, this year. "On both days just one or two appeals were taken
on hand, while the rest were put aside. In total, 42 of my appeals were wound
up by the commission without hearing me," he said. Finding no respite,
Chavda filed a case in the high court on July 15. The court ruled, "The
respondent commissioner will hear and decide the said 42 appeals in accordance
with law and pass appropriate order on its merits. With aforesaid observation
and clarification, present stand disposed of."
"It has
been more than a month that I handed over the court's order but there is no one
to hear me," Chavda said. Regarding the case, State Chief Information
Commisioner Balwant Singh said, "Since there is no specific time given by
the court in this case, it will come on board but we cannot say when. When the
order was passed the file had come to me then it was passed on to some other
official." According to Pankaj Bhatt, president of Ahmedabad RTI
association, "It's sad and bad for Gujarat state that a person has to seek
high court's help to get few papers. This also shows that government officials
are hiding something from Chavda which may expose the loopholes. The RTI act is
to bring transparency in the system. People should use this weapon for the
betterment of society."
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