‘Missing’ files case: Rohtak college principal told to appear before panel

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, July 30

The Haryana State Information Commission (SIC) has asked the principal of All-India Jat Heroes Memorial (AIJHM) College, Rohtak, to appear before it in person.

Hearing an appeal of Prof Sandeep Berwal of Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University (CRSU), Jind, State Information Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Shekhawat directed the college principal to furnish his reply clarifying his position regarding the registration of an FIR regarding missing of record.

“The SPIO-cum-principal, AIJHM College, Rohtak, is directed to provide the requisite information to the appellant without any further delay,” the commission maintained, pointing out that its orders were final and binding upon the parties as per Section 19(7) of the RTI Act, 2005. The next date of hearing in the case has been fixed at May 2, 2024.

Prof Berwal had alleged illegality in recruitment of faculty at Department of Physical Education at CRSU in October 2020. He sought the details of one of the appointees, Dr Kuldeep Nara, who was selected as Associate Professor at CRSU, from his previous institution, Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, under the RTI Act. The SPIO of MDU referred most of the information to the Principal-cum-SPIO of AIJHM College, Rohtak.

The SPIO-cum-Principal of the college did not provide the desired information under the RTI Act on the pretext of missing record.

Following that, the commission had reprimanded the college authorities, stating that frequent reference to ‘missing files’ as an excuse to deny the information to the information-seeker was a threat to transparency, accountability and a major reason for the violation of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

The commission had also directed the SPIO-cum-principal of the college to lodge an FIR if the record is untraceable.