No info for 1,000 days, RTI activist in Chennai gets compensation of Rs 15K
Besides the compensation, the commission has also asked the present appellate authority to furnish reasons, if any, for not taking action against the then appellate PIO for not providing information within 15 days as mandated by the Act.
CHENNAI: In a first since the Right to Information Act came into force in Tamil Nadu 18 years ago, the Chief Information Commissioner of the state directed the public information officer (T Nagar Deputy Commissioner of Police) to pay compensation to a social activist for not providing the information he sought even after 1,000 days.
However, M Kasimayan, the Chennai-based activist, is not satisfied with the Rs 15,000 compensation awarded to him, pointing out that he was yet to get the information he sought but the petition was disposed of.
Besides the compensation, the commission has also asked the present appellate authority to furnish reasons, if any, for not taking action against the then appellate PIO for not providing information within 15 days as mandated by the Act.
In 2020, Kasimayan had filed an RTI request before the T Nagar police Deputy Commissioner (public information officer) seeking verification of documents regarding action taken on six complaints – from November 2015 to February 2019 at Ashok Nagar - raised with the Chief Minister’s Special Cell.
Unsatisfied with the reply, he filed the first appeal before the joint commissioner concerned.
As there was no reply, he moved the second appeal before the State Information Commission.
In November 2020, the commission ordered the PIO to provide complete information to the petitioner.
When the case came up again for hearing in January, Kasimayan argued that the PIO disobeyed the directions of the commission and did not provide details even after 1,000 days since the commission's direction and sought action against the PIO and levy a penalty.
The order of the information commission, however, only showed that he was awarded a compensation of Rs 15,000.
"My original request was to inspect the documents at T Nagar Deputy Commissioner's office. My request has not been fulfilled. Instead, the order asks to compensate me. I will have to appeal again," Kasimayan told DT Next.