Whispers Forum

I beg to disagree with the views expressed by Sudhir ji recently on All India Services (AIS) . More importantly we need professionalism, accountability, fixed responsibility including defined role in each service in all the All India services. India is governed on divided responsibility in civil service with no accountability of anyone. A revolutionary change in rules is required where right from messenger to Secretary roles are defined and responsibility or accountability is minutely defined or earmarked.
Harish Kumar

CCTV footage of court hall of Presiding Officer, DRT, Pune was denied. Applicant argued that the purpose of the CCTV was public safety as well as transparency of judicial process and the respondent was under an obligation to disclose the CCTV footage. The PIO referred to the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Pradyuman Bhisht v. Union of India [WP No. 99/2015] wherein it was observed that the footage of the CCTV Camera will not be available under the RTI and will not be supplied to anyone without permission of the concerned High Court. The CIC held that the Disclosure of the CCTV footage might endanger the physical safety of individuals whose movement was covered on that footage. In the absence of any larger public interest, there appears to be no infirmity with the stand taken by the respondent..
Comments
With the Covid pandemic, a large number of hearings are taking place virtually. Perhaps, the law should evolve to set a procedure for the obtaining the recordings of CCTV and the Court proceedings..
Citation: Adv Mahadeo Avhad v. Debts Recovery Tribunal in Second Appeal No. CIC/DRTPU/A/2019/645775, Date: 29.12.2021
Dr. Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is an expert on RTI matters and has co-authored the books RIGHT TO INFORMATION - LAW AND PRACTICE and PIO’s guide to RTI. Apart from her weekly article here, her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation of India at the link: www.rtifoundationofindia.com

Ramakrishna Ashram in Karnataka has rightly said that the noxious controversy over hijabs in Karnataka's schools and colleges is "unnecessary and not in the interest of peace and harmony". The Ashram has also defended Devadatt Kamat - Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court - who has faced attacks for representing Muslim students in the case.
Kamat, who has been targeted by right-wing commentators for citing Islamic scriptures to defend students fighting for the right to wear hijabs in schools and colleges, has done no disservice to the Hindu religion, the ashram's top priest has said.
Arguing for students who have been told not to wear hijabs to schools and colleges in the state's Udupi, Kamat had told the Karnataka High Court that the religious headscarves were part of their culture which cannot be impinged upon. He also cited verses from the Quran which said it was incumbent upon women to cover their heads before anyone other than close family members.
"Some elements are trying to brand him as supporting a cause against Hindu Religion. This perception is absolutely uncalled for and baseless. A lawyer representing a client in the court has to do his duty and justice to his client's cause. That is a professional duty and responsibility. It cannot be branded as a cause against the Hindu Religion," the priest added.
Definitely, such irrelevant issues should not be raised by anyone or given any importance for the sake of the country which is moving fast on the path of progress in all the fields.
Bina Tiwari

Budget 2022 has big programme for Post Offices that all 150,000 post offices in India will be connected to the core banking system that will enable people to access their account online and also transfer money within post office accounts and to other banks. It is very good programme for rural and urban areas. Without any prejudice it is brought to kind notice that staffs at the post offices are not customer friendly. They require proper training before induction for regular job. Mindset is still on old working methods. Many accounts are getting closed due to KYC updates. People have moved from old place to new place due to work and their addresses have changed in Aadhaar. Post Office still requires local address for updates resulting in closure of accounts. It is submitted that address can be updated in post office accounts as per Aadhaar irrespective of the account place. Three IDs are sufficient for opening and maintaining accounts_ Aadhaar, PAN and mobile number. Mobile numbers are working on all India bases. As long as person is in India he can open account anywhere in the country with address given in Aadhaar without local address insistence. Otherwise local and permanent address can be noted and one of them should be according to Aadhaar address. Some post office staff advise open account in your area post office. Now post offices are going to be connected to CBS on all India basis. Staffs have to be friendly with customers for any success. A simple thing has to be still implemented. As per Income Tax, no TDS to be deducted from Sr. Citizens account (SCSS) for interest up to Rs. 50,000/- without submitting Form 15 H. But still TDS is getting deducted even less than Rs. 50000/ interest. They insist for submission of Form 15 H. This can be implemented through centralised software without interaction of local staff of post office. So any staff should not be able to tinker with TDS ruling which should be uniform for all Sr. Citizens. These are basic things which affect the success of post offices. For achieving desired results one has to change the things for proper working.
Naveen

Whisper should initiate a campaign to stop writing a designation before names like IAS, IPS, IRS etc, like the way we stopped using red beacon light, in the same way it should stop since it creates inequality and threatens someone that he or she is IAS or IPS so one should be afraid. In the Gr C and GrB no one write any service name, they write only designation like Junior engineer, head master, Medical officer, income tax inspector, section officer so on the same analogy one should write only the post at which some is working so common citizens or anybody else should treat all officer as public servant but fearing them and it will bring Equality among all services.
S Ranjan

Sad but true , SRK was doing a traditional mode practiced by devout Muslims. I have seen my classmates in school days in Bombay do the same . There is no spitting involved. Cosmopolitan societies like ours need to eschew remarks off the cuff and accept our heritage. That our society was suppressed for a millennium is true. We are slowly getting back . Education and acceptance of our heritage is the need of the hour and all sections of Indians, no matter which faith we practice, must accept and acknowledge. Faith is a personal matter and must remain PRIVATE and in your heart and not on your sleeves. Our Generation X Y Z deserve a good example from the earlier senior generation. Just look at the Indian Armed Forces, and follow their examples of harmony.
Devindra Sethi

A video that is being circulated for the past two captures Shah Rukh Khan, India’s biggest movie star and a practicing Muslim, reading a ‘dua’ (saying a prayer), lifting his mask and blowing sideways - a gesture typically practiced in some sects Muslims while praying for the departed. But his action was soon misinterpreted by religious bigots who accused the actor of ‘spitting’ on Lataji’s remains.
How these people made up this logic ? What essentially is the motive behind such attacks since this isn’t the first time that the actor has found himself caught in a social media storm? The social media storm that SRK finds himself at the centre of only illuminates the ignorance that has gripped netizens today or have we, as a nation, stooped to this low that we can now even criticize a person’s expression of grief ?
PC Tiwari

Wish PM and HM understand that this talk of bonhomie and camaraderie is of no meaning if all the services are not given their right places and due. Hegemony of IAS over other services at the cost of their self respect and self esteem is doing no good for the overall bureaucracy. Widening gap in empanelment, not giving the posts to them despite qualification and eligibility and keeping them exclusively for IAS officers is detrimental to the effectiveness and efficiency of the civil services as an organic single identity. We need to act before it is too late.
Sudhir

Yes it is true, there may be some variation in the number of surplus IAS if we recruit a complete 6200 post of IAS. In fact after 1957 when central staffing scheme was implemented since then true spirit of All India Services has been diluted otherwise only AIS officers required to come on central deputation and due to this they have good number of post under CDR but after 1957 no thought was given on this and CDR remain intact but there no vacancy and officers from other services are equally eligible to come on central deputation under central staffing scheme.
Shauramya