Maximum penalty of Rs. 25,000 imposed on PIO of CIC
24 May, 2012
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has imposed a penalty of Rs. 25,000/- on its own Public Information Officer (PIO), Mr. KL Das for the delay in providing the information of over 100 days for which no reasonable cause was offered. RTI applicant Rajeev Sharma had sought information related to work allocation in the Central Information Commission (CIC) and some information related to Bharat Scouts and Guides. The information was sought on 20/04/2011, but the information was provided on 13th April 2012. The PIO K L Das who is a Deputy Secretary level officer said the appellant's file got mixed up in the process of receiving and keeping these records and it could not be traced despite efforts.
Taking strict view of the delay in providing the details, the CIC held that at the very least, the PIO should have informed the appellant that the relevant file was misplaced or untraceable. And either the file should have been located within reasonable time and the information provided or a police complaint should have been made for the loss of the said file. The amount of Rs. 25,000/- ha been directed to be deducted at the rate of Rs.5000/ everyper month every month from the salary of Mr. K. L. Das.