SIC orders IGICH to disclose marks of the expert panel
6 Oct, 2013Hearing an appeal, the Karnataka State Information Commission (SIC) has asked the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH) to produce documents regarding selection of its director. During the selection process held in 2012, an expert panel the awarded marks. The PIO provided the final marks awarded by the panel comprising former medical education minister S A Ramdas; secretary (medical education) K S Prabhakar; director (medical education) G S Venkatesh; professor of paediatrics, PGIMER Chandigarh - Sunit Singhi (expert); and professor, department of pediatrics at the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune Girish Gupta (expert). The break up of marks was refused by the PIO.
Following refusal of information by the public information officer of IGICH, activists had used the RTI route on behalf of Doctor Asha Benakappa who stood second in the selection process. During the hearing before the SIC, the PIO claimed that the institute did not have the documents. The Kartnataka SIC observed that by October 10, the PIO must provide full details of a document - whether it is not stored, whether it is destroyed - or face action.
In November, 2012 R Premalatha was appointed director Premalatha as she was awarded 7.5 out of 15 marks and while Benakappa got 6.5.