Times of India: Patiala: Sunday, 03 May 2026.
The Punjab State
Information Commission (PSIC) has issued a showcause notice under Section 20(1)
of the Right to Information Act, 2005, to the Public Information Officer (PIO)
of the office the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO), Nabha, for continued
failure to furnish complete information to an RTI appellant, and warned that a
bailable warrant will follow if the officer fails to comply at the next hearing
on June 11.
The order was passed by state information commissioner Harpreet Singh Sandhu during a video conference hearing in appeal case No. 1069 of 2024. The appellant, Gurpreet Singh of Thuhi village of Nabha, Patiala, appeared through the platform. None of the respondents, neither the PIO of Block Nabha nor any representative of the First Appellate Authority, appeared or sent any intimation to the Commission.
Gurpreet Singh had filed a RTI application (No. 97111) seeking information from the Office of the BDPO, Nabha block of Patiala. The First Appellate Authority in the matter was the Office of the District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO), Patiala. When his application did not yield complete results through the department's appeal mechanism, Gurpreet Singh escalated the matter to the PSIC. The case passed through multiple adjournments, with the Bench's previous order dated Dec 12 2025. The matter was then adjourned to Feb 12 this year, again to Feb 24, and reached its hearing in March this year.
Gurpreet Singh told the commission that in compliance with the previous order, he communicated the deficiencies in the information supplied, in writing, to the notice of the PIO. He said the concerned panchayat secretary subsequently provided some information pertaining to those deficiencies. However, he maintained that the information remained incomplete, and requested the commission to take action against the respondent PIO for willful delay and denial. "The respondent PIO remained absent from the proceedings and provided no prior intimation. The Commission found the conduct unacceptable," said a source.
The commission also directed the PIO to provide the complete certified information to the appellant, appear in person on the next hearing date, and file a written reply to the notice. The order stated that failure to comply will result in the issuance of a bailable warrant.
When questioned, Nabha BDPO JS Dhillon said he has joined recently, but assured that he will look into the matter.
The order was passed by state information commissioner Harpreet Singh Sandhu during a video conference hearing in appeal case No. 1069 of 2024. The appellant, Gurpreet Singh of Thuhi village of Nabha, Patiala, appeared through the platform. None of the respondents, neither the PIO of Block Nabha nor any representative of the First Appellate Authority, appeared or sent any intimation to the Commission.
Gurpreet Singh had filed a RTI application (No. 97111) seeking information from the Office of the BDPO, Nabha block of Patiala. The First Appellate Authority in the matter was the Office of the District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO), Patiala. When his application did not yield complete results through the department's appeal mechanism, Gurpreet Singh escalated the matter to the PSIC. The case passed through multiple adjournments, with the Bench's previous order dated Dec 12 2025. The matter was then adjourned to Feb 12 this year, again to Feb 24, and reached its hearing in March this year.
Gurpreet Singh told the commission that in compliance with the previous order, he communicated the deficiencies in the information supplied, in writing, to the notice of the PIO. He said the concerned panchayat secretary subsequently provided some information pertaining to those deficiencies. However, he maintained that the information remained incomplete, and requested the commission to take action against the respondent PIO for willful delay and denial. "The respondent PIO remained absent from the proceedings and provided no prior intimation. The Commission found the conduct unacceptable," said a source.
The commission also directed the PIO to provide the complete certified information to the appellant, appear in person on the next hearing date, and file a written reply to the notice. The order stated that failure to comply will result in the issuance of a bailable warrant.
When questioned, Nabha BDPO JS Dhillon said he has joined recently, but assured that he will look into the matter.
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