PANAJI
The Goa State Information Commission (GSIC) has imposed a penalty of Rs 6,000 on an aided school for delaying to furnish information pertaining to the residence proof of teachers under the Right To Information (RTI) Act. The fine amount, which will be deducted from the salary of the high school’s Public Information Officer (PIO), is also levied for releasing only partial information to applicant Kashinath Shetye.
Shetye has sought copies of residence certificates of the city-based school’s teachers. Since he was denied the information, the applicant escalated the matter to the First Appellate Authority who directed the PIO to furnish the required information. With the matter eventually reaching the doors of the Commission, the PIO was found guilty of dereliction of duty.
In the penalty proceedings against him, the PIO pleaded he had no malafide intention but denial of information was only because of a representation by the teachers opposing the public disclosure of their personal details.
The PIO thereafter provided copies of some residence certificates and employment cards of the remaining batch of teachers to the appellant who countered he did not seek employment cards. The copies of representation made by the ‘third party teachers’ objecting to furnishing details and notice issued to them were also not submitted to him.
The Commission noted the PIO was unable to explain the unavailability of residence certificates of all the teachers and sought to know how the notice was issued to the teachers objecting the RTI application, who reportedly didn’t have these documents.
“RTI Act has been brought to bring transparency and accountability in the public administration. Here, in this case, appellant contends he was seeking the said information in order to unearth the alleged corruption in the process of recruitment of teachers in government-aided schools,” reads the order.
Having knowingly and deliberately evaded furnishing the information, the State Information Commission Sanjay Dhavalikar slapped a fine of Rs 6,000 on the PIO to be deducted from his salary in two installments and credited into the government treasury.
