Indian Express: Ahmedabad: Wednesday, 06 September 2023.
The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has on September 2 issued three circulars bringing in changes in its functioning following a public interest litigation (PIL) moved at the Gujarat High Court last month raising several grievances.
The PIL, filed by RTI Ekta Manch, was disposed without directions and the court had instead relegated the petitioners to make a representation before the state Chief Information Commission with their grievances.
The three circulars attribute the PIL as well as two representations made by the RTI Ekta Manch as the cause for GIC’s latest action.The three circulars include one permitting the use of electronic devices during appeal hearings and the standard operating procedure (SOP) to be maintained in this regard. Among the SOPs listed include putting such devices on silent/vibration mode, prohibiting recording of proceedings, violation of which would attract offences under the Information Technology Act, and not disrupting proceedings during adjudication by usage of such devices.
One of RTI Adhikar Manch’s grievance before the HC was that though the GIC has become paperless as all its proceedings are conducted online lawyers, complainants and other persons participating in the hearings are not allowed to use gadgets like laptops and iPads. Rather, they are forced to bring papers pertaining to the matter to the hearing, it had said. The second circular pertains to allocating a dedicated hearing room for appeal proceedings.
The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has on September 2 issued three circulars bringing in changes in its functioning following a public interest litigation (PIL) moved at the Gujarat High Court last month raising several grievances.
The PIL, filed by RTI Ekta Manch, was disposed without directions and the court had instead relegated the petitioners to make a representation before the state Chief Information Commission with their grievances.
The three circulars attribute the PIL as well as two representations made by the RTI Ekta Manch as the cause for GIC’s latest action.The three circulars include one permitting the use of electronic devices during appeal hearings and the standard operating procedure (SOP) to be maintained in this regard. Among the SOPs listed include putting such devices on silent/vibration mode, prohibiting recording of proceedings, violation of which would attract offences under the Information Technology Act, and not disrupting proceedings during adjudication by usage of such devices.
One of RTI Adhikar Manch’s grievance before the HC was that though the GIC has become paperless as all its proceedings are conducted online lawyers, complainants and other persons participating in the hearings are not allowed to use gadgets like laptops and iPads. Rather, they are forced to bring papers pertaining to the matter to the hearing, it had said. The second circular pertains to allocating a dedicated hearing room for appeal proceedings.
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