Times
of India: Thiruvananthapuram: Wednesday, 08 April 2015.
National
Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI),a collective of RTI
activists across the state, staged a dharna in front of Pallichal panchayat
office on Monday in protest against the resolution passed by the panchayat
declaring Vijitha V V as a public nuisance.
Around 50
members of the collective took part in the protest. Aby George, state
co-ordinator of NCPRI, said it was unfortunate that officials responsible for
disbursing information found their duty a disruption. "They have a
responsibility to give information when it is sought as per the norms of the
central act. To declare the applicant as nuisance is in fact a violation of
their basic duties," he said.
The
collective called for a system in which suo motu disclosure of information by
officials should come into effect. RTI activists under the RTI Federation had
also protested against the panchayat's resolution.
Questioning
the legal right of the panchayat to issue such a resolution, Thiruvananthapuram
secretary of RTI Federation Mundela Basheer had said that declaring Vijitha as
a public nuisance had caused irreparable damage to the woman and her family.
The local
self government department (LSGD) has kept the resolution at abeyance following
complaints from the Mookkunnimala Protection Council. The files sought from the
panchayat will also be referred to the LSG ombudsman. Meanwhile, Vijitha will
file a defamation suit against the panchayat this week. She has also demanded a
public apology from the panchayat president and secretary.
The panchayat
had issued a resolution saying that her RTI applications caused hindrance to
the smooth functioning of the panchayat office and that she persisted with
filing appeals despite being issued convincing answers. Panchayat secretary
Noel Raj had justified the decision saying that Vijitha was declared a public
nuisance as she disrupted routine work at the panchayat office.
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