Action taken for occupying building without completion certificate to be disclosed under RTI

Background

The appellant sought various details regarding Building Construction Plans such as how many plans have been sanctioned, number of plans for which Completion Certificates have been issued and what action has been taken against the occupancies done without obtaining completion certificate. The Public Information Officer (PIO) directed the appellant to obtain the information from the MCD Website and denied for the ‘action taken’ stating that the ‘reasoning’ was not covered under RTI Act. The First Appellate Authority (FAA) ordered the PIO to disclose the information completely.

View of CIC

The Central Information Commission (CIC) directed the PIO to disclose the sought information observing that the appellant had not sought any reasons in the RTI application. The Commission issued a show cause notice to the PIO under section 20 (1) of the RTI Act for not furnishing complete information within the stipulated time and refusing to obey the orders of his superior officer. The Commission also awarded a compensation of Rs. 2000/- to the appellant 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 for the loss and detriment suffered by him in pursuing the matter.

Citation: Mr. Amrik Singh v. Municipal Corporation of Delhi in Decision No. CIC/SG/A/2012/000225/18049