Chief Secy issues orders for recovery of RTI fines

Haryana Chief Secretary has issued directives to all administrative secretaries, heads of departments, chief administrators and managing directors of boards/corporations, divisional commissioners, and Deputy Commissioners, mandating the immediate recovery of penalties imposed by the State Information Commission (SIC) on State Public Information Officers (SPIOs) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.

The directive highlights the Haryana Right to Information (Amendment) Rules, 2018, which were notified on July 3, 2018. These rules outline the procedure for imposing and recovering penalties from SPIOs failing to comply with RTI provisions. As per Section 20 of the RTI Act, the SIC issues written penalty orders during complaint adjudications or appeals, and a copy is forwarded to the SIC Registrar. The Registrar records the details in a designated register and issues a recovery notice to the controlling authority, instructing the deduction of the penalty amount from the SPIO’s salary for deposit into a specified government account within a stipulated time frame.