Daily Pioneer: Odisha: Thursday, 11 May 2023.
The Odisha State Information Commission (SIC) has imposed the maximum permissible penalty of Rs 25,000 on the deemed Public Information Officer (PIO) of Alanahat High School in Jagatsinghpur district for a non-supplying of information to an applicant thereby defying the commission’s orders under the RTI Act 2005.
The commission too directed that if the PIO fails to pay the fine within one month, the amount be recovered from his salary in two installments. The commission asked the District Education Officer for compliance of its orders.
One Suresh Chandra Parija in November 2017 filed an RTI application with the Alanahat High School PIO seeking a few details on school developmental works as massive irregularities were allegedly made in executing the works.
The PIO could not supply the information during the mandatory period. So, he applicant filed a first appeal, which also did not yield any result. Being dissatisfied with the response from both the PIO and the first appellate authority, the applicant approached the SIC in the form of a second appeal seeking action against the erring information officials.
The commission took up the appeal on September 7, 2021 and disposed it with a direction to the school authority and information officials to provide information to the applicant. Still then, the applicant did not receive any information.
Then, the applicant filed an order violation case in the commission’s court against the school information officials. During the course of hearing, the commission took cognisance of the matter and asked the PIO to appear in its court in person to explain the reason for non-supplying of the information. But the stubborn PIO did not appear in the commission’s court and did not submit any compliance report.
The commission exercised its power and ruled that the PIO is liable to pay a penalty of Rs 25,000 to the applicant.
The Odisha State Information Commission (SIC) has imposed the maximum permissible penalty of Rs 25,000 on the deemed Public Information Officer (PIO) of Alanahat High School in Jagatsinghpur district for a non-supplying of information to an applicant thereby defying the commission’s orders under the RTI Act 2005.
The commission too directed that if the PIO fails to pay the fine within one month, the amount be recovered from his salary in two installments. The commission asked the District Education Officer for compliance of its orders.
One Suresh Chandra Parija in November 2017 filed an RTI application with the Alanahat High School PIO seeking a few details on school developmental works as massive irregularities were allegedly made in executing the works.
The PIO could not supply the information during the mandatory period. So, he applicant filed a first appeal, which also did not yield any result. Being dissatisfied with the response from both the PIO and the first appellate authority, the applicant approached the SIC in the form of a second appeal seeking action against the erring information officials.
The commission took up the appeal on September 7, 2021 and disposed it with a direction to the school authority and information officials to provide information to the applicant. Still then, the applicant did not receive any information.
Then, the applicant filed an order violation case in the commission’s court against the school information officials. During the course of hearing, the commission took cognisance of the matter and asked the PIO to appear in its court in person to explain the reason for non-supplying of the information. But the stubborn PIO did not appear in the commission’s court and did not submit any compliance report.
The commission exercised its power and ruled that the PIO is liable to pay a penalty of Rs 25,000 to the applicant.
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