Queries about why certain action was taken in a vigilance enquiry raised under RTI
4 Jul, 2012Background
The appellant wanted to know why minor action was instituted against a Railway employee for having taken bribe even after the employee herself accepted that she had taken the bribe money, whether special favours were extended to the employee who had admitted to having accepted bribe money. He also wanted to know whether the rumors that the enquiry was conducted in the retiring room were correct. The Public Information Officer (PIO) informed the applicant that disciplinary proceeding against the employee was taken as per the merit/ gravity of offence detected during the investigation.
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The Central Information Commission (CIC) rejected the appeal holding that the appellant was not seeking information as defined in section 2(f) “information” means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force; “information” means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force; of the RTI Act. He was only seeking the opinion of the PIO and that the PIO is not obligated to provide his opinion under RTI since such an opinion does not comply with the definition of information as given in section 2(f) “information” means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force; “information” means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force; of the RTI Act.
Citation: Mr. R S Shukla v. Northern Railway Head Quarter Office Vigilance Branch, in File No: CIC/AD/A/2012/001667
RTI Citation : RTIFI/2012/CIC/446
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