Times of India: Vijayawada: Saturday,
5 October 2024.
A full-scale infighting in
AP state information commission has come into the open as the chief
commissioner has lodged a complaint against four RTI commissioners to the
governor.
The chief commissioner alleged that four commissioners were not attending duties as mandated to them as per the RTI Act and claiming fake bills. On the other hand, the commissioners said the chief commissioner has no administrative control over them to dictate terms. All RTI commissioners are of high court judge status and infighting in the commission has impacted its functioning.
The commission has been embroiled in the infighting for the past several months due to the alleged "authoritarian approach" of chief commissioner RM Basha. All the incumbent commissioners including the chief commissioner were appointed during the YSRCP regime.
Although the TDP-led NDA govt tried to shunt them out of office, the commissioners resisted the attempts citing their constitutional status. The RTI commissioners have a fixed term of three years, and it is a complex procedure to remove them.
While the terms of Basha and commissioner Samuel Jonathan run till 2025, three commissioners Rehana Begum, Chavali Suneel and Dr A Uday Bhaskar Reddy will retire in 2027 as they were appointed as commissioners just before the general elections.
Basha, in a letter, requested the secretary to the governor to appraise him of the "unexpected and indecent developments taking place at the commission". He said the state commissioners have not obliged to his instructions on marking attendance despite it being mandatory. He said it is unethical for the commission to apply the attendance rules only to outsourced, contract and deputation staff. He further stated that the commissioners also resisted attempts to install CCTV cameras in the adjudication rooms to bring transparency to the commission's activities.
When contacted, two RTI commissioners said they do not wish to comment as their response would further denigrate the image of the commission. "We are committed to uphold the image of the statutory commission. We will resolve small internal administrative issues within the commission," they said.
Another commissioner said section 15 (4) of RTI Act, 2005 clearly states that the general superintendence, direction and management of affairs of the state information commission shall vest with the chief information commission who shall be assisted by the information commissioners and may exercise all such powers.
"It makes amply clear that the chief commissioner should take our assistance. It does not prescribe that he has control over the commissioners. We are all autonomous and independent with regard to powers and rights on par with the chief commissioner," he claimed.
The chief commissioner alleged that four commissioners were not attending duties as mandated to them as per the RTI Act and claiming fake bills. On the other hand, the commissioners said the chief commissioner has no administrative control over them to dictate terms. All RTI commissioners are of high court judge status and infighting in the commission has impacted its functioning.
The commission has been embroiled in the infighting for the past several months due to the alleged "authoritarian approach" of chief commissioner RM Basha. All the incumbent commissioners including the chief commissioner were appointed during the YSRCP regime.
Although the TDP-led NDA govt tried to shunt them out of office, the commissioners resisted the attempts citing their constitutional status. The RTI commissioners have a fixed term of three years, and it is a complex procedure to remove them.
While the terms of Basha and commissioner Samuel Jonathan run till 2025, three commissioners Rehana Begum, Chavali Suneel and Dr A Uday Bhaskar Reddy will retire in 2027 as they were appointed as commissioners just before the general elections.
Basha, in a letter, requested the secretary to the governor to appraise him of the "unexpected and indecent developments taking place at the commission". He said the state commissioners have not obliged to his instructions on marking attendance despite it being mandatory. He said it is unethical for the commission to apply the attendance rules only to outsourced, contract and deputation staff. He further stated that the commissioners also resisted attempts to install CCTV cameras in the adjudication rooms to bring transparency to the commission's activities.
When contacted, two RTI commissioners said they do not wish to comment as their response would further denigrate the image of the commission. "We are committed to uphold the image of the statutory commission. We will resolve small internal administrative issues within the commission," they said.
Another commissioner said section 15 (4) of RTI Act, 2005 clearly states that the general superintendence, direction and management of affairs of the state information commission shall vest with the chief information commission who shall be assisted by the information commissioners and may exercise all such powers.
"It makes amply clear that the chief commissioner should take our assistance. It does not prescribe that he has control over the commissioners. We are all autonomous and independent with regard to powers and rights on par with the chief commissioner," he claimed.
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