Compensation of Rs. 2000/- granted by SIC for delay in RTI reply
11 Jun, 2013An application was filed almost two years ago with the Public information officer (PIO) of Mangalore taluk under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to get some information pertaining to Mangalore taluk office.
The PIO failed to provide the demanded information within the stipulated time and it was provided to the applicant only after a delay of nine months from the stipulated time.
The aggrieved applicant then approached the state information commission of Karnataka seeking compensation for denial of information. After hearing the appeal, the Karnataka Information Commission asked the concerned PIO to file a written reply as to why the appellant should not be paid a compensation of Rs. 2,000.
After studying the reply submitted by the PIO, the KIC by the power vested in it under Section 19(8)(b) In its decision, the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be, has the power to require the public authority to compensate the complainant for any loss or other detriment suffered; of the RTI Act has asked the PIO to pay a compensation of Rs. 2,000 to the appellant and to submit a compliance report to the information commission after making compensation.