City-based RTI activists say many citizens have sought their help because RTI applications have been rejected by public information department officers.
The beleaguered information commission cell is receiving complaints that applications are not being received at the initial stages itself. City-based RTI activists say many citizens have sought their help because RTI applications have been rejected by public information department officers.
It’s not a one-off case and the number of such incidents has been on the rise since last month. RTI activist Vikram Simha said officers do not accept forms, citing excuses such as the applicant did not pay the basic Rs10 fee. A recent Central government order — following due to a parliamentary committee directive following a similar case that appeared before the Tamil Nadu high court — stipulates that an officer cannot refuse the application if the fee is not paid. As per RTI rules, this practice is not permitted. The officer can seek payment of the fee later, but the application must be entertained.
Simha said applications are being rejected for minor errors in the postal order. Citizens are unaware that in state government departments, applications have to be addressed to the public information officer and for applications sent to the Central government, they must be addressed to the accounts officer.
Furthermore, applications are also being rejected if the applicant pays a higher fee. Instead of returning the excess amount, officials say the department does not have an accounts officer to maintain records.
Another RTI activist, Kalidasa Reddy, said his application was rejected recently when he was seeking details regarding BBMP hoardings. His application was rejected as the officer demanded a DD, rather than initial fee of Rs10. He said: “The officer rejected the application stating only DDs are accepted. If I have to give him a DD of Rs10 from a nationalised bank, I will have to spend Rs50 for the process.” “Furthermore, officers also demanded an additional Rs12, saying it was for other charges. When I didn’t pay the additional amount, my application was rejected. They also told me the information I asked for runs into 1,000 pages and I would have to pay Rs2,000 for it. But I wanted only a few pages and the official was also not allowing me to go through the documents. This is sheer harassment.”
Another RTI activist, Veeresh Bellur, said this has been occurring because officers are not trained nor are they well-versed with the rules. They do not realise the applicant can file a complaint with the information cell and that they can face disciplinary action. A large number of applications are being rejected at the panchayat secretary level. Dr HN Krishna of the Karnataka Information Commission said the commission does hear cases applications rejected in this fashion. Based on proof provided, action is taken, he said.
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