Appeal against PIO LA for denying information under RTI: JKNPP

Claiming denial of information about property details of a BJP MLA under the RTI Act, Jammu and Kashmir National Pathers Party (JKNPP) today said an appeal has been filed against the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Legislative Assembly in this onnection.
JKNPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh said he had moved an RTI application seeking the property statements of a BJP legislator from January 2015 onwards.
"The PIO, assembly secretariat, in response to the RTI has stated that the information pertained to third party and hence could not be provided without the consent of the MLA," Singh said in a statement here.

Without naming the BJP legislator, Singh expressed dismay over the refusal of the assembly secretariat to provide the MLA's property details and accused the government of making the most "contemptuous mockery of the slogans of transparency, accountability and good governance".
Describing the reply as "highly opprobrious and violation of the RTI Act", he said former MLAs had not only put their assets in public domain but the public was having full access into their property details which were provided by the assembly secretariat "without any hitch" or seeking consent of members.
"Have the rules been changed with regard to disclosure of assets by public men after the takeover of the PDP-BJP coalition?" he asked.

Singh said he has filed an appeal against the PIO legislative assembly for "concealment of property details of the MLA and for giving a baseless reason for denying the information sought under the RTI".

He said the tall slogans of the government on transparency and voluntary disclosures of assets of its leaders are just an "eye wash".
"The refusal to provide the asset details of its MLAs is not only gross violation of propriety and rule of law but also takes sheen off the anti-corruption slogans of the government," he said.
He said the property details "disallowed by the assembly secretariat pertained to an MLA who had raised a fully furnished palatial bungalow besides other moveable and immovable assets after his election as MLA despite the fact that he had publically claimed to be having only Rs 15,000 as cash and at bank".