Times
of India: Rajkot: Sunday, 20 September 2015.
The Gujarat
Information Commission (GIC) has imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Public
Information Officers (PIO) of Gujarat University (GU) for not provide
information under RTI Act to P C Kumbhat in the stipulated time frame.
Kumbhat, a
resident of Ramedvnagar in Ahmedabad, had filed an RTI application in September
2011 in Gujarat University (GU) seeking copy of his answer sheet of legal
language paper of the third year LLB examination held in April 2011.
GU's PIO
replied back saying that they were seeking legal opinion in the matter and they
will respond to him only after the opinion is received. Even after seeking
legal opinion, GU did not provide required information. So Kumbhat filed appeal
before the Appellate Authority, Registrar of GU, in November 2011. But Kumbhat
did not get information.
In April
2012, Kumbhat filed an appeal before Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) in
Gandhinagar. The GIC issued notices to PIO and Appellate Authority of GU under
the RTI Act. However, they did not respond to GIC for over two years.
During the
hearing of this case, GIC observed that PIO has not provided information under
RTI Act and without giving any reason.
GIC held
hearing in February, April and June in 2014 but no GU authority remained
present during the hearing.
"Despite
repeated orders by GIC to concerned Public Information Officers, PIOs failed to
provide information to applicant, they are responsible for it under the RTI
Act," GIC observed in its final order.
GIC imposed a
fine of Rs 20,000 on J C Lalani, the then PIO and deputy Registrar of Gujarat
University, and Rs 5,000 on K D Vora, the present PIO and examination
controller of GU under section 20(1) of RTI Act.
If both PIOs
failed to deposit the fine, it should be deducted from their salaries and
deposited in government treasury.
.JPG)
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