Information delayed, official penalised Rs 25,000

Tribune News Service

Hisar, March 28

The State Information Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) of the Higher Education Department for not providing information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Information had been sought by a Hisar-based resident Anil Bhatia regarding the affiliation and administration of government-aided DAV colleges.

An application was filed on November 16, 2019, to seek information from the public information officer (colleges branch) in the Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) on five points regarding the affiliation and administration of 13 affiliated and 95 per cent government-aided DAV colleges as per the security of the Service Act 1979 and service rules 2006.

Bhatia had sought the list of the transferred lecturers and principals of DAV colleges since 1979 and rules regarding the fixation of seniority and grant of senior scale public selection grade to these transferred lecturers, principals and the approval of the government.

State Public Information Officer Neelam Puna said on November 28, 2019, there was no rule of transfer in DAV colleges and such a list of transferred lecturers and principals was not available with the office of the DHE. Bhatia argued that this was despite the fact that every appointment was subject to the approval of the government and university and all posts of lecturer/principal in non-government recognised college was by way of direct recruitment.

Bhatia filed the first appeal before the appellate authority on December 5, 2019, who did not decide the appeal on February 9, 2020. Bhatia had filed the second appeal before the State Information Commission. At the time of the hearing of both parties on March 7, 2020, the commission had observed that the information supplied by the public authority was incomplete and inaccurate.

Finally at the time of the hearing on March 3, 2021, the State InformationCommissioner, Bhupender Dharmani, imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on Neelam Puna for intentional delay and delay of information to Bhatia in its order, dated March 15, 2021.

The commission also directed the director, higher education, to deduct the penalty amount from the salary and directed to send the compliance report to the commission by April 25.