Times
of India: Ahmedabad: Tuesday, 18 August 2015.
The State
Information Commission (SIC) has issued an order to the 'chitnis' revenue
record-keepers at the Ahmedabad collectorate to provide all details regarding
plots allotted to judges to an RTI activist Mohit Soni from Devgadh Baria.
The panel
also issued a show-cause notice to chitnis officer Harshad Patel of the
Ahmedabad district collectorate, seeking explanation as to why a fine of Rs
25,000 should not be imposed on him. The order was issued by information
commissioner V S Gadhvi in connection with an RTI application filed by Soni.
Soni had
filed an application in August 2013 seeking details, including information
regarding any payments made by the beneficiary judges.
Controversy
had recently erupted in the high court over allotment of plots to 27 judges
with former acting CJ V M Sahai issuing notices to the beneficiary judges and
the state government.
Gadhavi held
a special hearing on July 2 on the issue and was critical of the fact that
despite two appeals filed before the collector, Soni was not provided the
information in the last two years. "I had sought copies of applications
made by the HC judges for the plots from the government, details regarding any
payments made by the judges and subsequent allotment of the plots," says
Soni.
The acting
chief justice last week also directed the Ahmedabad district collector to
supply copies of documents to whosoever desired to get the copies after
applying for the same. This happened after a couple of litigants, who joined in
the case as party-in-person, requested the court for related documents regarding
plot allotment to HC judges.
"The
district collectorate took two years to act on my application. I am yet to
receive a copy of the details," says Soni.
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