Whispers Forum

The appellant sought information regarding the date on which a particular postal order was allegedly encashed by the Jhansi Development Authority (JDA). The PIO replied that the sought information is not available. Before the CIC, the PIO submitted that it is not possible to provide the information sought by the applicant due to non-availability in their office. Since the appellant had addressed the postal order in question to JDA, the postal order in question must have been cashed by them through a post office, therefore, the information sought can be obtained from JDA Office only. Further, the records are kept till 18 months only and the said IPO pertains to year 2018, and hence the information was not preserved till that time. The CIC observed that the reply provided by the PIO does not contain any reference to the record retention policy or the preservation period of the records. Therefore, the CIC directed the PIO to furnish a revised reply mentioning their record retention policy for weeding out the records.
Comments
Had the PIO given the details of the record retention policy, the whole sequence of first and second appeal could have been avoided. Hence, all PIO’s must ensure a proper reply at the initial stage to avoid unnecessary proceedings.
Citation:Smt. Saira Bano v. Department of Posts, Second Appeal No. CIC/POSTS/A/2023/623911; Date of Decision: 06.11.2024
Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com

It is the judicial bodies and judiciary which have done a great distinct service to the RTI Act by not following the provisions in letter and spirit. The decisions are made without public consultation and without recording the reasons in file. When the RTI Application is filed, there is nothing on the file to disclose. It is the classical way to work in an opaque manner. Is someone interested in breaking this lock jam? It would perpetuate the non-accountability in the system. As the guardians of the Constitution, the higher judiciary is the one who is supposed to take steps to enforce the section 4 of the RTI Act. Regrettably, 19 years later, the section 4 of the RTI Act is yet to be implemented.
Bhishambar Nath Singh

The appellant contended that he was aggrieved by denial of legal aid and had sought information with respect to the same. He was not satisfied with the response given by the Respondent and requested that the Respondent may be directed to consider his plea seeking legal aid to pursue the litigation filed by him. The CIC observed that the Appellant’s application seeking free legal aid had been already declined by the Scrutiny & Evaluation Committee and he had been duly informed accordingly. The CIC further observed that the scope of the RTI Act does not extend beyond providing information as available in official records. Therefore, delving into the question of reason behind and/or correctness of denial of legal aid by the Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee is irrelevant as it falls outside the purview of the RTI Act.
Comments
The PIO can only be expected to provide the facts as available on records. However, Section 4 (1) (d) of the RTI Act directs the public authority to provide reasons for its administrative or quasi-judicial decisions to affected persons.
Citation: Shri Gajender Nath v. High Court Of Delhi Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee, Second Appeal No. CIC/DSLSA/A/2023/134118/HCDEL; Date of Decision : 04.11.2024
Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com

Sir, we salute for your humility, compassion and generosity which is becoming rare day by day. You have very well said that humanity is permanent whereas posts and designations fade away. Only personalities like you will be remembered for ever whereas the others with misplaced who and arrogance will be shunned once they demit office or superannuate from service may your tribe increase respected Sir.
Srinivas Rao
Productivity is zero against free ration
When 800 million people get free ration, their productivity is zero and this gap cannot be compensated by any amount of policy framework.
Rajesh Gohel

The value of the rupee has fallen drastically. According to the RBI, the value of rupee reached Rs. 85. Obviously, these days challenges are increasing in the Indian economy. Another reason for this is slow growth rate and rising inflation. After taking charge, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra had also said that he would move forward on the path of creating an appropriate balance between inflation control and growth rate. According to the recently announced official data, the retail inflation rate of 5.8 percent, still remains much above the Reserve Bank's fixed range of inflation. In such a situation, the scenario of slow growth rate and challenge of inflation is emerging in the country at this time.
Sakshi Khare