PIO slapped with show-cause notice

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 7

Delay (beyond the stipulated time period) and the denial of information to an applicant under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has cost dear the SDM (West) Amrinder Singh Malhi, who is also the Public Information Officer (PIO) and the first appellate authority in the office of the SDM (West).

Accepting the plea of the appellant, the Chief Information Commissioner of Punjab State Information Commission Suresh Arora has issued a show-cause notice to the PIO, asking him as to why a penalty under Section 20 (1) should not be not imposed on him.

Passing the orders in the appeal case 2943 of 2020 (Sat Pal Sharma vs Amrinder Singh Malhi, PIO Office of SDM-West), the CIC observed, “Viewing the attitude in dealing with the RTI application of the appellant seriously, Shri Amrinder Singh Malhi, PCS, Sub Divisional Magistrate West, Ludhiana is issued a show-cause notice to explain in a self-attested affidavit as to why a penalty at the rate of Rs 250 per day of delay subject to a maximum of Rs 25,000 till the complete information is furnished, be not imposed under Section 20(1) of RTI Act, 2005 on him for causing wilful delay/denial of information to the RTI applicant.

However, the respondent official was given an an opportunity under Section 20(1) proviso thereto, for a personal hearing before the imposition of such penalty on the next date of hearing. “He (the PIO) may take note that in case he does not file his written reply and does not avail himself of the opportunity of personal hearing on the next date, it will be presumed that he has nothing to say and the Commission will proceed ex-parte,” said the orders.

The CIC, in his orders, further directed the PIO and the SDM (West) to file the specific reply/supply the complete information to the appellant before the next date of hearing on March 25, 2021.

The second appeal was filed by Sat Pal Sharma and other residents comprising Adarsh Lane Welfare Society, New Tagore Nagar, Haibowal Kalan after failure of the SDM (West) to issue orders under Section 133 of the CrPC against public nuisance of a workshop for making sweets which used a boiler, a diesel furnace and stored diesel in an illegally constructed building in a residential area.

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