PIO denies information under the non-existing Section 54 of the RTI Act
15 Sep, 2013
In an unprecedented instance, a Public Information Officer (PIO) has refused to provide information demanded through the Right to Information (RTI) Act claiming exemption under a non-existent section of the RTI Act. An application was filed with the office of the district minority welfare office, Moradabad under the Right to Information Act seeking to get the details about the employees of the waqf boards.
The reply from the district minority welfare officer and the PIO stated that the requested information could not be provided to the applicant as per the Section 54 of the RTI Act. However, the fact is that there is nothing like section 54 under the RTI Act; the act has only 31 sections. It indicates gross ignorance and carelessness on the part of the PIO. The defiant act of the PIO has been brought to the notice of the Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission (SIC).