Use of RTI by being the intermediaries to make a small fortune
19 Sep, 2012Background
The applicant claimed that seven workers of coal mines have not received the PF and Pension dues even after considerable lapse of time after their retirement. He filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act with the Coal Mines Provident Fund Organization (CMPFO) seeking information about the payment of Provident Fund (PF) and Pension of those seven workers. The Public Information Officer (PIO) denied the information under section 8(1)(j) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, there shall be no obligation to give any citizen, information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual unless the Central Public Information Officer or the State Public Information Officer or the appellate authority, as the case may be, is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information: Provided that the information which cannot be denied to the Parliament or a State Legislature shall not be denied to any person. of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
View of CIC
The Central Information Commission (CIC) referred to its previous order [in case No. CIC/AT/A/2008/01390 in the matter of Shri Dev Nandan Prasad Vs. CMPFO] where the Commission had held that it is in public interest that the information about the crediting of pension in the accounts of the third-parties be collected from the bank and provided directly to the account holders/ pensioners. The Commission was reluctant to allow this information to go into the hands of the appellant directly stating that certain applicants have used the RTI Act in order to make a small fortune for themselves by being the intermediaries on behalf of the poor and semi-literate third-parties. The Commission ruled that the respondents have rightly denied the information to the appellant and directed that the requisite information be provided directly to the beneficiaries/ pensioners as listed by the appellant.
Citation: Mr. Subhash Kumar Singh v. Coal Mines Provident Fund Organization, in Case No. CIC/SS/A/2012/000529
RTI Citation : RTIFI/2012/CIC/658
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