Times of India: Goa: Tuesday, 29 August 2023.
The Goa State Information Commission (GSIC) has asked the chief secretary to seek an explanation from the former director of women and child development for causing alleged harassment to an applicant by not deciding a first appeal despite issuing notice after notice.
“Deepali Naik, first appellate authority and former director, women and child development, is held guilty of not deciding the first appeal within the stipulated period as provided under Section 19(6) of the RTI Act,” said state information commissioner Sanjay Dhavalikar.
“The Right to Information Act, 2005, mandates the FAA to hear and dispose of the first appeal within 45 days,” he said. “Naik, being a senior official of the government of Goa, cannot be ignorant of the provisions of the RTI Act. Despite that, she kept on issuing notices to the applicant even after the expiry of the stipulated period without conducting a single hearing. Only an irresponsible and insensitive officer can display such shameless misuse of authority, maybe with an intention of harassing the applicant. Therefore, such conduct needs to be punished.”
Priyanka Vaingankar, a resident of Santa Cruz, had requested the public information officer (PIO) of the department of women and child development for information pertaining to the working of Apna Ghar. Being aggrieved by the refusal of the information, she filed a first appeal before Naik, who was then director and first appellate authority. The applicant was compelled to file a second appeal before the SIC since the FAA did not dispose of the first appeal.
“The FAA (Naik) is living in her own paradise by wrongly believing that the appellate authority gets indefinite time to decide the appeal and unlimited authority to harass the appellant. This arrogant and incautious conduct needs to be punished for violation of provisions of law,” Dhavalikar observed.
He also said that “the chief secretary shall seek an explanation from Naik for not disposing of the first appeal as provided under the RTI Act”.
The Goa State Information Commission (GSIC) has asked the chief secretary to seek an explanation from the former director of women and child development for causing alleged harassment to an applicant by not deciding a first appeal despite issuing notice after notice.
“Deepali Naik, first appellate authority and former director, women and child development, is held guilty of not deciding the first appeal within the stipulated period as provided under Section 19(6) of the RTI Act,” said state information commissioner Sanjay Dhavalikar.
“The Right to Information Act, 2005, mandates the FAA to hear and dispose of the first appeal within 45 days,” he said. “Naik, being a senior official of the government of Goa, cannot be ignorant of the provisions of the RTI Act. Despite that, she kept on issuing notices to the applicant even after the expiry of the stipulated period without conducting a single hearing. Only an irresponsible and insensitive officer can display such shameless misuse of authority, maybe with an intention of harassing the applicant. Therefore, such conduct needs to be punished.”
Priyanka Vaingankar, a resident of Santa Cruz, had requested the public information officer (PIO) of the department of women and child development for information pertaining to the working of Apna Ghar. Being aggrieved by the refusal of the information, she filed a first appeal before Naik, who was then director and first appellate authority. The applicant was compelled to file a second appeal before the SIC since the FAA did not dispose of the first appeal.
“The FAA (Naik) is living in her own paradise by wrongly believing that the appellate authority gets indefinite time to decide the appeal and unlimited authority to harass the appellant. This arrogant and incautious conduct needs to be punished for violation of provisions of law,” Dhavalikar observed.
He also said that “the chief secretary shall seek an explanation from Naik for not disposing of the first appeal as provided under the RTI Act”.
.JPG)
.JPG)
