The
Times of India: Ahmedabad: Saturday, 31 January 2015.
Caught on the
wrong foot, a police in spector with licence branch of Rajkot police
commissioner's of fice has been slapped with a fine of Rs 11,500 by Gujarat
Information Commission (GIC) at Gandhina gar for denying information un der
Right to Information Act (RTI) to an applicant, Altaf Chichodara.
Chichodara, a scrap vendor turned RTI
crusader, had filed three applications under RTI for which he was denied
information by inspector R J Shukla, who is public information officer at the
police commissioner's office.
In the first
case, he had sought information about the long working hours of police
personnel and the reason for absence of senior police officers from funerals of
policemen who die on duty.
“In July,
2013, I came to know that many policemen worked for more than licemen worked
for more than eight hours and there was no implementation of guidelines by
different police reforms committees. This often led to cops committing suicide.
I also noticed that there were police officers at the funeral of cops dying on
duties. I filed an application in October 2013,“ Chichodara said.
Since Shukla
did not comply with the orders of the appellate officer and even those from
GIC, information commissioner B G Panchasara ordered imposition of a fine of Rs
5000. The order said that the money be deducted from his salary and deposited
in government treasury.
In the second
case, Chichodara had sought details in July 2013 about a report submitted by
Thorala police inspector against a woman sub inspector P H Lagdhirka in a disciplinary
case.Since Shukla did not comply with GIC orders, it imposed yet another fine
of Rs 5,000 on him.
In the third
case, Chichodara sought a government resolution on guidelines for filing a
first information report. “I was denied information and I appealed before GIC
that ordered the inspector to pay me Rs 1500 as compensation for denying
information in stipulated time prescribed under the RTI Act,'' Chichodara said.
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