Senior citizen renews RTI quest

[sidmis]

Senior citizen renews RTI quest
as reported by BHAMA DEVI RAVI ,2 Sep 2008,, TNN

CHENNAI: Denied access to information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2005, a senior citizen and RTI activist has moved the Central Information Commission (CIC) seeking contempt proceedings against Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

On August 16, R Natarajan filed a second request with the CIC after the oil company failed to comply with CIC's directive permitting Natarajan to inspect the records of IOC with regard to disciplinary action against four officials of the corporation.

Natarajan, in June 2007, had filed an RTI application with the CIC seeking information about the wealth of four Chennai-based IOC officials. This was in pursuant of his moving the central vigilance commission (CVC) in 2005 on charges of the officials accumulating wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income. IOC had, after an internal inquiry, dismissed the plea.

After a personal hearing in Delhi in February, the CIC which accepted the petitioner's request for inspection of relevant records (on disciplainry proceedings) and directed IOC to comply within 15 days. IOC officials refused to give him the details, and asked him to "obtain the relevant details directly from CVC."

"Such a response from IOC is nothing short of contempt of the CIC order," said Natarajan, who then sought contempt proceedings in July against IOC. Failing to hear from CIC, Natarajan wrote to the CIC on August 16 seeking to bring contempt proceedings against the oil company.
"I want to see the notings which exonerate the officials , since I have proof to the contrary in my possession . I will continue knocking on the doors of CIC until I find satisfactory proof that the four officials are indeed innocent," he said.
bhama.devi@timesgroup.com

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/C...ow/3434768.cms