Whispers Forum

The Supreme Court has made it mandatory for all courts to follow its guidelines on following the sealed cover procedure. This is a landmark judgment. Good for democracy and a rap on the knuckles of all autocracies. The top court has observed that non-compliance of guidelines would perpetuate the culture of opaqueness and secrecy. Successive governments at the centre and states, have been submitting the desired information before the courts in sealed covers, strictly for the eye of the Bench. Reason: National security. Similar sealed cover procedure is used by the bureaucracy in public administration aspects like appointments, promotion, termination of service, vigilance matters, disciplinary cases etc. The opaque approach harms the interests of the affected parties in defending their cases effectively due to sealed cover information, to which they have no access. There is another fall out effect while implementing the RTI Act. It is common knowledge that the information sought under the RTI Act, more often than not, is withheld by the Public Information Officers (PIOs) on simplistic ground: breach of National security. While the Supreme Court is making all out efforts to make its proceedings transparent by making available transcripts of its live proceedings. The sealed cover procedure should not be allowed by courts unless they are convinced of the sensitivity of withheld information from the national security angle. Incidentally, it is as much damaging to the interests of aggrieved parties as the practice of giving unreasonable judgments by the subordinate judiciary. The top court is urged to look into it.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

The appellant has sought the following information with regard to sanction of family pension in respect of Late Sh. Roop Narayan Jha. The PIO replied seeking certain documents which were not provided by the appellant who preferred to file a second appeal. The CIC observed that the appellant shall submit the documents proving his relationship with the deceased as well as the legal heir proof of him and his father to justify the entitlement to receive information. On receipt of the requisite documents, the PIO shall send a suitable reply to the appellant.
Comments
On the demise of an individual, the information relating to him still remains private and only the legal heirs are entitled to obtain the information.
Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Visakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books, RTI Right to Information - Law and Practice and PIO’s Guide to RTI. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and Third party audit. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation of India at the link www.rtifoundationofindia.com

There is no doubt that the train services have improved a lot in recent years and the introduction of Vande Bharat Trains shows we can enjoy comforts and luxuries at par with railway passengers of advanced nations. But why no attention is paid to the masses travelling in unreserved classes as well as in passenger trains. For them the train journey is no less than a nightmarish experience. Why can't we have at least 2 or 3 unreserved bogies in trains instead of just one? Are all the comforts for the rich class?
Nitika Tripathi

Bankura University has invited application for the recruitment of Special Lecturers on a purely temporary basis in the Physics Department. The required minimum qualification is M.Sc in Physics with NET or PhD. The selected candidates will be required to teach four lectures per week with a remuneration of -believe it or not- Rs 300 per lecture amounting to Rs4800 per month! Even a domestic maid even in Bankura has to be paid more than this for working for two hours a day. If this is how teachers with PhD degree are treated is there any wonder why education quality is so pathetic in India! Will someone bring this to the attention of the CM of Bengal?
Raghavan

The CBSE has reportedly decided to remove several chapters on the medieval history and political science syllabii of Classes 11 and 12 by the NCERT.
Deletion of medieval history will rob it of its consistency and continuity deleting rise of Islamic empires in Afro-Asian territories, the chronicles of Mughal courts and industrial revolution.
Who will worship Shankaracharya, Guru Nanak , Islamic sufi saints ,Surdas,Tulsidas and several great saints of south India,where Bhakti movement actually originated during the medieval period?
If, the decision makers feel that this initiative will fast-track converting secular India into a " a theocratic state", they are sadly mistaken. Is this a prelude to making India a Hindu Rashtra?
Is this not anti-Constitutional? Secularism is a part of the Preamble.
A regressive, retrograde, divisive and a misguided step triggered by the sense of misadventurism.
I would urge our Prime minister to re-visit the sensitive decision and ponder over it after consulting the stakeholders.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)