Punjab SIC reprimands PIO for delaying information under RTI
11 Sep, 2013
An application was filed with the Employment Department of Punjab under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to get some documents related to the proceedings of departmental promotion committee.
As the information provided by the Public Information Officer to the applicant was incomplete and also delayed by four months, the applicant approached the Punjab state information commission. The commission found during the hearing that the PIO withheld the information willfully and deliberately and without any justifiable reason. The SIC also said that not attending the hearing was another act of willful disobedience on the part of the concerned PIO, who also happens to be the joint director of the employment department.
The SIC has asked the government to issue a warning to the PIO to be more cautious and vigil while handling RTI applications in future. The PIO, however, said that the information related to the employment directorate was provided to the applicant on time and the rest of information was withheld at government level.