CIC imposes penalty of Rs 25,000 on transport dept officer

The CIC has imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on the Secretary of Delhi transport department for failing to comply with its directive of allowing an RTI applicant to inspect control room and documents related to installation of GPS devices in autorickshaws.
Hearing an appeal filed by NGO Nyayabhoomi, the Commission had previously issued show cause notice to Mohinder Singh, former Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) and Deputy Commissioner (autorickshaw unit) vide its orders on September 17, 2012 and August 23 this year.
The CIC has specifically stated that if the officer fails to appear then it will take ex-parte decision in the matter of show cause notice issued to him.

"The officer has also failed to provide the requested information to the appellant in spite of clear directions from the Commission to him in this regard. Therefore, Commission imposes maximum penalty of Rs 25,000 on Mohinder Singh, formerly CPIO, and currently posted as Secretary, State Transport Authority (STA), GNCTD," the CIC said in its order.
The amount will be deducted from his salary in five equal installments of Rs 5,000, it said.
Exercising his Right to Information, Nyayabhoomi's Secretary Rakesh Agarwal had in March 2011 sought details related to installation of Global Positioning System (GPS) devices in three-wheelers used for ferrying passengers.

He had also sought to inspect the control room and files related to this proposal by the government.

Aggrieved over the response from CPIO and appellate authority, Agarwal had moved Commission. The CIC, had in its order in September 2011 directed the CPIO to provide all information.
The public information officer was also then show caused as to why he failed to appear before the Commission for the hearing and directed to submit his written explanation by October 13, 2011.
However, despite CIC's directives and reminders, Singh did not provide desired information, Agrawal, who later approached the transparency watchdog, said.

The CIC, while hearing the second complaint, on August 23 this year endorsed the show cause notice to Singh and sought his explanation within two weeks after its receipt. The Commission also told him to appear before it for personal hearing on October 14, failing which the matter will be decided ex-parte.
The officer had once again failed to appear before the Commission for personal hearing, the CIC observed before imposing penalty of Rs 25,000, maximum under the transparency law.