Central information commission fines IIT-Kharagpur officials

The central information commission (CIC) has fined two officials of IIT-Kharagpur Rs15,000 each, to be deducted from their salaries, for giving incomplete information to an RTI applicant and delaying it by 60 days. CIC also awarded a compensation of Rs5,000 to the applicant for the “loss and detriment”.

Rajeev Kumar, a professor in the elite institute, had sought the RTI Act details regarding visiting, guest or contractual faculty at Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law at the IIT. He also wanted to know the remuneration to such faculty since July 2006.

But he didn’t get complete information and complained to CIC.
Information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said, “… no reasonable cause has been provided for the complete failure by TK Ghosal and TK Mukherjee to provide complete information …

Instead, it [the information] was provided after a delay of 60 days. The complainant has certainly suffered.”