MAPUSA
In a significant development underscoring the importance of transparency and accountability in governance, the Goa State Information Commission (GSIC) has imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Aldona panchayat, Pramod Naik, for failing to furnish proper and legible information to a Right to Information (RTI) applicant.
The penalty comes in response to a complaint filed by RTI applicant Devidas Panjikar, who alleged that the documents provided to him by the PIO in response to his RTI request were illegible and unreadable.
According to the applicant, the lack of clarity in the documents caused serious prejudice and hindered his efforts to access vital information from the panchayat.
In his order, State Information Commissioner Atmaram Barve noted that the conduct of the PIO amounted to a disregard of the provisions and spirit of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
He emphasised that despite receiving multiple opportunities to rectify the issue and comply with directives, Pramod Naik failed to take appropriate corrective measures.
“The conduct of the PIO appears to be of disregard to the RTI Act, 2005 and the authorities constituted there under,” Barve observed in his ruling.
“In spite of getting ample opportunities to comply with the directions, the PIO has grossly failed in discharging his duties and has attracted penalty of Rs 25,000 under Section 20 (1) of the RTI Act, 2005,” he added.
The GSIC has also directed the Director of Panchayats to recover the penalty amount from Pramod Naik’s salary and submit a compliance report to the Commission by May 15, 2025.
