Economic
Times: New Delhi: Monday, 14 December 2015.
In two rare
verdicts, Central Information Commission has awarded compensation to applicants
fighting for information on their provident fund and salary.
A senior
citizen resident of Dhanbad, who had been seeking information from his employer
Bharat Coking Coal Limited on deduction from his salary towards provident fund
for two years, has been awarded a compensation of Rs 15,000. Another resident
of Brahmpuri, who was employed as a teacher on contract by East Delhi Municipal
Corporation, has been awarded a compensation of Rs 8,000 for being wrongfully denied
information on his emoluments for three years.
RTI applicant
B K Mukhopadhyay, who was working as senior technical inspector in Bharat
Coking Coal Limited, had sought information about provident fund deductions
from his salary between 1986 and 1991 after he came to know that his contribution
had not been properly deposited. However, the organization did not give him any
information. While arguing his case before the Commission, he said that his
pensionary benefits were fixed at a lower rate as his deductions towards
provident fund were not shown.
Ruling in
favour of Mukhopadhyay, Information Commission Yashovardhan Azad directed the
organization to provide information within a month and also awarded
compensation. "It is a right of every employee to have his provident fund
deductions correctly reflected in his account. However, no information was
given to the appellant despite specific directions from the appellate
authority... The Commission is of the view that the award of compensation is
called for in this case since a person has suffered acute damage and loss due
to denial of information by the concerned authorities. Hence, the Commission
awards a compensation of Rs. 15,000 to be paid to the appellant for the loss
and detriment suffered by him due to inept handling of the RTI application and
denial of information. The amount will be paid to him by the head of the public
authority, i.e. Chairman, BCCL as compensation under the RTI Act."
In a similar
case, Manoj had been fighting for information about his salary that East Delhi
Municipal Corporation had not paid between April 1 and May 10, 2013. According
to the applicant, the bills were worth Rs 35,000 and had not been cleared by
the department. The Commission took a stern view and ordered a compensation of
Rs 8,000 to the applicant.
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