Times of India: Vijayawada: Wednesday, 7Th
October 2026.
State information commissioner Rehana Begum has imposed a Rs 20,000 penalty on a public information officer (PIO) for failing to provide information sought under the Right to Information Act and for delaying disclosure of information that should have been made available voluntarily.
RTI activist A Chengal
Rayulu of Tirupati rural mandal had sought information under Section 4(1)(b) of
the RTI Act from Printing, Stationery and Stores Purchases office in Vijayawada
in Nov 2022. As no information was provided even after the mandatory 30-day
period, he approached State Information Commission with a complaint in Dec
2022. The matter came up for hearing before Rehana Begum when both sides
appeared before Commission. Rayulu pointed out that more than three years had
passed since he filed the RTI application but the information had still not
been furnished.
Commission found that S Zaheer, who was the PIO and assistant director when the application was filed in 2022, had continued in the same responsibilities. It issued a show-cause notice to the PIO, seeking an explanation as to why action should not be initiated for failing to provide information that was required to be disclosed proactively under the RTI Act.
During the hearing on Sept 16, the PIO admitted that the information had not been provided within the prescribed time. He told Commission that he had instructed the assistant public information officer to furnish the information, but the official had failed to do so and subsequently retired in 2024.
The PIO further claimed that the information had been furnished to the complainant on Sept 19, 2025. However, he failed to produce any evidence before Commission to establish that the information had actually been delivered to Rayulu.
Rejecting the explanation, Rehana Begum held that the PIO had shown serious negligence and caused undue delay in providing information that was required to be proactively disclosed to the public. Commissioner imposed a Rs 20,000 penalty on the PIO and directed the principal secretary of the home department to recover the amount from the official’s salary and credit it to govt treasury.
State information commissioner Rehana Begum has imposed a Rs 20,000 penalty on a public information officer (PIO) for failing to provide information sought under the Right to Information Act and for delaying disclosure of information that should have been made available voluntarily.
Commission found that S Zaheer, who was the PIO and assistant director when the application was filed in 2022, had continued in the same responsibilities. It issued a show-cause notice to the PIO, seeking an explanation as to why action should not be initiated for failing to provide information that was required to be disclosed proactively under the RTI Act.
During the hearing on Sept 16, the PIO admitted that the information had not been provided within the prescribed time. He told Commission that he had instructed the assistant public information officer to furnish the information, but the official had failed to do so and subsequently retired in 2024.
The PIO further claimed that the information had been furnished to the complainant on Sept 19, 2025. However, he failed to produce any evidence before Commission to establish that the information had actually been delivered to Rayulu.
Rejecting the explanation, Rehana Begum held that the PIO had shown serious negligence and caused undue delay in providing information that was required to be proactively disclosed to the public. Commissioner imposed a Rs 20,000 penalty on the PIO and directed the principal secretary of the home department to recover the amount from the official’s salary and credit it to govt treasury.
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