Can disciplinary action be taken against the PIO if he fails to attend the hearing?
21 Dec, 2012Background
The appellant filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act with the Department of Revenue seeking information in respect of WILL registered with the Sub Registrar VIII. The Public Information Officer (PIO) furnished a point wise reply to the appellant.
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The Central Information Commission (CIC) noted that the Complainant had approached the Commission without waiting for the mandatory time period allowed to the First Appellate Authority (FAA) to dispose of the appeal. The Commission remanded the case to the FAA with the direction that he hear the appellant and dispose of the appeal. The Commission also served a notice to the PIO to explain as to why disciplinary action should not be recommended against him for not appearing before the Commission for the hearing and for delegating the authority vested in him to a peon who was unable to answer the queries of the Commission.
Citation: Mr. Ved Prakash v. Department of Revenue in File No: CIC/AD/C/2012/001453
RTI Citation : RTIFI/2012/CIC/884
Click here to view original RTI order of Court / Information Commission