Manipur High Court directs Chief Engineer of PHED to produce records for recruitment of 91 Section Officers.

Imphal Times: Rinku Kumuchkam: Imphal: Monday, October 14, 2024.

The Manipur High Court has directed the Chief Engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) to produce relevant official records related to the recruitment and appointment of 91 Section Officer Grade-I posts, as per the notification dated 10.11.2023, before the Court.

This directive was issued in connection with a writ petition filed by Thokchom Bebina, Superintending Engineer, Urban Circle, PHED, challenging an order passed by the Manipur Information Commission on 22.08.2024.

The Commission had ordered the furnish of the information requested under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Rishikumar Soraisham and imposed a penalty of Rs. 25,000 to Thokchom Bebina, SPIO of PHED for failing to provide the requested information.

The case originated from an RTI application filed by Rishikumar Soraisham, seeking details regarding the recruitment process, including his answer script, marks secured, cut-off marks for OBC candidates, and other related information.

During a hearing on 5th September 2024, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the petitioner had already written to the Chief Engineer of PHED on 30.08.2024, requesting the release of four out of the six pieces of information sought by the respondent under the RTI Act.

The petitioner’s counsel further assured the Court that these documents would be furnished within two weeks of receipt. Regarding the remaining two pieces of information, which pertain to third parties, a notice would be issued to the third party, and their consent would be obtained before furnishing the information.

After hearing the submissions, the High Court suspended the Information Commission’s penalty order and directed the petitioner to provide the documents related to items 1 to 4 within two weeks. The next hearing, initially scheduled for 09.10.2024, was rescheduled to 10.10.2024.

During the hearing on 10.10.2024, the Court noted that, despite its clear order, the required documents had not yet been furnished by the Chief Engineer to the petitioner. Following the Chief Engineer’s failure to provide the documents, the Court directed the Chief Engineer to produce the official records related to the recruitment and appointment of 91 Section Officer Grade-I posts, as per the notification dated 10.11.2023, before the court by the next hearing.

Additionally, the Court has instructed the State Chief Information Commissioner of the Manipur Information Commission not to proceed with Appeal Case No. 44 of 2024 without the Court’s permission.