Files related to appointment of MSWC members destroyed - RTI reply
10 Feb, 2014An application was filed with the Department of Women and Child Welfare, Maharashtra under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to get information related to the appointment of the members of the Maharashtra State Women Commission (MSWC) in 2007 including that of the commission’s chairperson Susie Ben Shah.
The department stated in the reply that Susie Ben Shah was appointed as a member of the board by a notification issued on January 31, 2013 and the appointment took place on December 31, 2013. However, regarding other details like the letter of recommendation for her candidature, the copies of the projects handled by her as a board member and her evaluation report as a board member, the department said that the related documents have been destroyed in the Mantralaya fire on June 26, 2012.
Terming the reply as evasive and raising question about 11 months delay in the appointment, the applicant, a victim of sexual harassment, has filed a case in the Bombay High Court challenging Ms Shah’s appointment as commission’s chairperson.