DNA: Mumbai: Monday, May 14, 2018.
Citizens can
now get timely information under Maharashtra Public Trust Act, 1950, apart from
the Right to Information Act, 2005. Applicants seeking information from Charity
Commission (CC) under RTI were often asked by officers to apply for information
under the rules of Maharashtra Public Trust Act, 1950, instead. However,
information would not be given on time, if it was given at all. The State
Information Commission (SIC) has now ordered CC to come out with a circular,
fixing the time limit in which information will be provided even under rules of
Public Trust Act.
The order was
given by Ajit Kumar Jain, state information commissioner of the Brihanmumbai
bench on an application filed by Sandeep Dhoble, resident of Kanjurmag, who had
sought details of Ganesh Rahivashi Sangh from CC. "I first sought for
information under the rules of Maharashtra Public Trust Act.
After getting
no reply, I sought information under RTI a year later. The officials again
asked me to apply under their rules. It was then that I approached the
commission," said Dhoble. The order can be cited as a case law to other
authorities like registrar of societies, and even court, that have their own
set of rules so that they provide time bound information.
The
commission also stated that other laws should be harmonious to that of RTI Act.
Apart from setting a time limit for providing information in physical format,
the order also allows an applicant to inspect the documents and chose what he
wants from it.
TIME LIMIT
The state
information commission (SIC) has now ordered the Charity Commision to come out
with a circular, which will fix a time limit in which information will be
provided even under rules of Public Trust Act apart from the Right to
Information Act.