Farmer uses RTI to extort money, held

Times of India: Chandigarh: Wednesday, March 14, 2018.

The police on Monday arrested a farmer for extorting Rs 10,000 from a government college principal to withdraw his case under the RTI Act against him in the court of Punjab State Information Commissioner in Sector 16.

Chief Information Commissioner S S Channy, in his complaint, said Gurdev Singh, a resident of Kothe Sapoora village in Bathinda district of Punjab, had filed a case against Pritam Singh, principal, Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Mandi Kalan, Bathinda, for denying him information related to the college under the RTI Act at the court of State Information Commissioner Preety Chawla.

However, during the hearing of the case, Gurdev changed his statement, saying he did not want to pursue the case. Pritam, in his reply to the court, gave in writing that Gurdev had demanded Rs 10,000 to end the case just before the hearing started. He said he had taken a photocopy of the currency notes that were paid to Gurdev. When court questioned Gurdev about the allegations, he confessed and the money was recovered from him.

Channy sent his complaint to senior superintendent of police. The accused was booked under Section 384 (punishment for extortion) of the IPC at the Sector 17 police station.