Commitment from govt officials cannot be obtained under RTI: CIC

[ganpat1956]

In a blow to information seekers wanting commitment from government officials through their queries, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has ruled that there was no provision under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to seek opinion and commitment.

The CIC rejected an appeal seeking commitment from the Postal Department as to when it was going to issue some new commemorative postage stamp on certain celebrities.

"The Act does not provide for a right to seek comments, answers or interpretations to the queries raised by a citizen, obviously because they would be subjective," said Commissioner Padma Balasubramanian dismissing the appeal which sought commitment regarding the issuance of future postage stamps on Dr B R Ambedkar and Guru Ravi Das.

The Commission made it clear that the officials were under no obligation to assure anything, pertaining to future activities, to information seeker as they do not fall under the purview of the RTI.

R L Kain, a resident of Delhi, had sought a commitment from the Postal Department that it would release commemorative stamp in honour of B R Ambedkar and other celebrities.
The CIC, in a recent order, upheld the Central Public Information Officer's earlier ruling that there was no provision for disclosure of "comments, opinion or commitment" under the Act.

outlookindia.com | wired