CIC - citizen should use the right given under RTI with great responsibility
22 Oct, 2012Background
The appellant filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act with the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India seeking details with respect to action taken on resolution of LIC officers through. The Public Information Officer (PIO) denied the information stating that the queries did not come under section 2(j) “right to information” means the right to information accessible under this Act which is held by or under the control of any public authority and includes the right to- (i) inspection of work, documents, records; (ii) taking notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records; (iii) taking certified samples of material; (iv) obtaining information in the form of diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through printouts where such information is stored in a computer or in any other device; of the RTI Act.
Proceeding
The PIO admitted that the appellant had made 10 representations as listed in his RTI applications.
View of CIC
The Central Information Commission (CIC) directed the PIO to provide copy of the service guidelines and specific and full information regarding disposal of each of the representations made by the appellant. The Commission also noted that the applicant had filed 35 representations and 14 appeals covering issues of discord between herself and the Management and in some of the applications, issues raised are not only frivolous and vexatious but are in bad taste and unbecoming of a serving employee. The CIC advised the appellant to desist for using such language. The Commission further held that RTI Act should not to be misused for settling scores between employees and Management and cherished rights given to the citizen should be used with great responsibility.
Citation: Mrs. Satyabhama Mohapatra v. LIC of India in Appeal: No. CIC/DS/A/2011/004477
RTI Citation : RTIFI/2012/CIC/745
Click here to view original RTI order of Court / Information Commission