Information panel slaps maximum penalty in 24 cases

[sidmis]

Information panel slaps maximum penalty in 24 cases
as reported by Shyam Ranganathan, The Hindu, Friday, Aug 22, 2008

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu State Information Commission has imposed the
maximum penalty of Rs. 25,000 in 24 cases against public authorities
for not providing sufficient and timely information on petitions filed
under the Right to Information Act, according to a study carried out
by an activist.

The activist, Madhav V, studied the judgments delivered by the
commission between 2006 and May 2008 and found that it had decided on
the most severe penalties for non-compliance with the Act on
authorities, including the University of Madras and the Highways
Department.

In some of the judgments, the commission remarked that the authorities
had deliberately withheld information and engaged in stonewalling.
There were also mentions of the authority concerned not turning up
even after a summons was issued, thus causing the petitioners
hardship.

Chief Information Commissioner S. Ramakrishnan said the number of
cases in which penalties were imposed was actually higher; it could be
in the order of 200 and above. The discrepancy in the numbers shown by
the study was because the penalties were not imposed with the
judgments in some cases, he said. An opportunity was given to the
respondents to explain why the penalty should not be imposed on them.
When the public information officers (PIO) did not give satisfactory
answers, the commission had imposed penalties later.

While the penalties are a useful deterrent against the erring
authorities, there has been no follow-up on whether the penalties were
actually enforced. In a case in which the commission had imposed a
penalty on the Highways Department, the petitioner said a friend had
actually filed another petition to know whether the penalty was
enforced. No reply has been obtained from the public information
officer on this petition, he said.

Mr. Ramakrishnan, however, said new staff had been appointed to the
commission, and a person would be directed to follow up on all
judgments to ensure the directions were carried out.

The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Information panel slaps maximum penalty in 24 cases