SC Directs Centre To Fast Track The Process For The Appointment Of Information Commissioners

Judiciary Dec 16, 2019 Editor: Kshipra Srivastava 19 Shares

The Supreme Court today (December 16, 2019) directed the Centre to put up on the government website, the names of members of the search committee for appointment of Central Information Commission's Information Commissioners within two weeks.

Also Read - Husband not Entitled to Seek Information Regarding Bank Details & Income Tax Returns of His Wife under RTI Act, 2005: CIC [READ ORDER]

Chief Justice of India. SA Bobde said, “There is “paralysis and fear” in the government and its functionaries because of the Right to Information Act, 2005. People are not taking decisions.” In Bombay, an official anonymously reported that the Mantralaya's functioning is almost paralyzed by the RTI Act. Prashant Bhushan says, “Those who are corrupt have reason for fear.”

CJI also said that, “people who are in no way connected to the issue, if file RTI, it sometimes amounts to criminal intimidation, which is a nice word for blackmail. We are not against the right to information. But there is need for guidelines. It cannot be an unrivalled right.”

Also Read - Central Information Commission Drops Show Cause Notice, Disposes of Complaint in Aarogya Setu RTI Case

SC says, “There are people who put on their letterheads 'RTI Consultant'.” CJI says, “They call themselves 'RTI Activists'. Is that an occupation? There may be an axe to grind behind RTI requests. We want to find a way to stop the abuse of RTI Act. Don't act as if there is no abuse.”

CJI says that the SC wants to hear arguments on the locus of people who file RTIs and also setting up a “filter which can be rightfully employed." He asked if it can check whether a proper application is filed in this regard.

CJI asks Prashant Bhushan to file a contempt petition if Government has not complied with its February 15 judgment to adopt a transparent appointment process for Central Information Commissioner, Information Commissioners. CJI said that, “if an SC judgment is not complied, we will issue notice.”

SC directs the Centre Government to complete the appointment of 4 information commissioners under RTI Act in 3 months. Matter has been posted for hearing in February, 2020.

Husband not Entitled to Seek Information Regarding Bank Details & Income Tax Returns of His Wife under RTI Act, 2005: CIC [READ ORDER]

Judiciary Jan 28, 2021 Gautami Chakravarty ( Editor: Ekta Joshi ) 0 Shares

The Central Information Commission in a recent matter at hand has held that a husband is not entitled to seek information regarding bank details & income tax returns of his wife under the Right to Information Act, 2005. Filing of the Income Tax Returns by an individual with the Income Tax Department is not a public activity, Neeraj Kumar Gupta the Information Commissioner has opined."It is in the nature of an obligation which a citizen owes to the State viz. to pay his taxes, this...

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Central Information Commission Drops Show Cause Notice, Disposes of Complaint in Aarogya Setu RTI Case

Executive Nov 30, 2020 Dev Kumar Patel ( Editor: Ekta Joshi ) 5 Shares

A complainant, Saurav Das had filed an RTI Application seeking information from the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), the National e-Governance Division (NEGD), and the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology about the process of creation of the Aarogya Setu App and other information relating to it.The main contention raised by the complainant was that the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), National e-Governance Division (NEGD), and Ministry of Electronics &...

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