NAGPUR: Govt college info officers fined Rs10 thousand for rejecting RTI plea

NAGPUR: The State Information Commission (SIC), Nagpur bench, has imposed a penalty of Rs10,000 on first appellate authority and public information officer at the Government College of Arts and Design, Laxmi Nagar, following grievances caused to an RTI applicant, while ruling in the latter’s favour.
RTI applicant Abhay Kolarkar had sought information on government funds, expenses, teaching staff, student enrolment, awards received by the college — which is popularly known as Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya — from 2016 to 2019.
The college’s public information officer, Pramod Raut, now retired, had stated that “the RTI applicant was not directly linked to the college and therefore the information sought is rejected”. Kolarkar had made the plea in December 2019 while this reply was furnished around 26 days later.
Under Section 19 (1) of the RTI Act, Kolarkar moved the first appellate authority, the post then held by dean Vinod Mankar, complaining that the requested information was not furnished.
The appeal was decided by Raut himself in contravention of norms, as Mankar held the relevant charge. Raut also made shocking observation such as “no citizen has the right to seek such information, there is no Act regulating such information and it is also out of ambit of Constitution”.
Eventually, Kolarkar filed a second appeal with the SIC under Section 19(3) of the Act. SIC Rahul Pande ruled that both the information officers had caused mental and physical harassment to Kolarkar while handling his pleas, following hearings in April this year. The commissioner also served notice to recover Rs25,000 from the first appellant authority for overlooking several court orders in such cases.
The order dated June 14 stated, “The requested information doesn’t pertain to any private or personal information. Hence it must be immediately furnished.”
The commission took stern view of Raut’s action and asked him to explain it before July 21 by remaining personally present before the commission.
Based on the facts presented before it, the bench also asked both Raut and Mankar to pay compensation of Rs1,000 to Kolarkar towards mental and physical harassment within four weeks of the order.
Kolarkar said, “A government college must disclose all information to the people without prejudice. It was shocking that my queries were not answered for over three years. I thank the commission for its decisions.”