Times
of India: Nagpur: Saturday, 21 February 2015.
The State
Information Commission had pronounced a historic judgement bringing Court of
Wards under the ambit of Right to Information (RTI) Act seven months ago. But
the collector office has not provided the information so far.
RTI activist
TH Naidu, who had sought information related to auction of Sonegaon lake,
fought a two-year-long battle to prove that the Court of Wards falls under the
RTI Act. Following the state information commission's order dated July 7, 2014,
the collector office had provided information about Sonegaon lake auction to
Naidu after much dilly-dallying.
Naidu had
submitted an application dated January 12 seeking information about Court of
Wards. Manager, Court of Wards, has sent a letter dated January 13 addressed to
Raje Raghujirao Bhonsle, seeking the latter's no objection certificate for
providing the information to Naidu. Naidu has received a letter from the manger
a couple days ago stating that no they are yet to receive the NOC from Bhonsle.
Naidu told
TOI that this was contempt of the state information commission's order.
"In the case of Sonegaon lake, I had submitted an application dated June
2, 2012, under RTI Act seeking information about the auction done by the Court
of Wards, Senior Bhonsla Estate. Information was denied citing that the Court
of Wards does not come under RTI Act. I went into appeal in which deputy
collector Nishikant Sukhe had passed an order on April 2, 2013, directing the
manager, Court of Wards, to provide relevant information.
"The
manager had sent a similar letter to Bhonsle seeking his no objection
certificate. Bhonsle had denied to give no objection certificate and the
information was not provided to me," Naidu said.
He added that
the decision of the Court of Wards was challenged before the state information
commission. "The judgement was given in my favour and the information was
provided. But it took me two long years to get the information. Now, I am
seeking information about Court of Wards and not of any individual. The very
purpose of RTI Act is defeated if I am denied information," he said.
On February
12, 1925, the then Government of the Central Provinces and Berar Court had
constituted Court of Wards, Senior Bhonsla Estate, to assume superintendence of
hundreds of acres property belonging to the city's royal family. Properties of
Raje Bahadur Raghujirao Bhonsle, Kunwar Fattesingh Rao Bhonsle and Kunwar
Jaisingh Rao Bhonsle were brought under Court of Wards. Many irregularities are
likely to be exposed when the information is provided by the Court of Wards.
Deputy
collector Jagdish Sangitrao told TOI that directives will be given to Court of
Wards to provide the information. "I will look into the matter and solve
it as early as possible," he said.
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