Srinagar, June 17: Chief Information Commissioner, GR Sufi, Friday imposed first penalty on a Public Information Officer (PIO) for “disobeying orders of the State Information Commission”.
 Vide order no SIC/K/COMP/34/2011, Sufi imposed the penalty on Abdul Majeed Wani, Additional Commissioner and PIO at the Divisional Commissioner’s office in Kashmir, for “not attending the Commission despite repeated missives.”
 Wani’s attendance, as per the penalty order, was required with regard to a complaint filed by Tanveer Hussain Khan of Gopalpora Ananatnag (Islamabad) under the Right to Information Act, 2009. “Notices were issued and served to you on May 5, 2011 and May 24, 2011for requiring your presence in the matter before the Commission. Whereas you did not comply with these notices and accordingly show-cause notice for imposing fine on you was issued and served to you, seeking your explanation as to why action under Section 32 CPC Samvat 1977 may not be taken against you, with a last opportunity to present yourself within eight days through notice dated  June 6, 2011,” the order, copy of which is with Greater Kashmir, reads. “Again you failed to comply with the statutory obligations cast on you.”
 The order mentions that “this Commission invoking the provisions of Section 32 of the Civil Procedure Code while taking serious note of your behaving, disobeying the orders of the Commission, has concluded that your serious of actions have proved that you intentionally and without any reasonable cause have not attended the Commission for which the Commission imposes on you a fine of Rs 500/ which shall be deducted from your salary of June 2011.”
 The order copy has been forwarded to the Chief Secretary, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir with the directions to deduct the amount from Wani’s salary and deposit the same in the government treasury.
Pertinently, this is the first penalty imposed by the CIC ever since his appointment in January this year. The RTI Act has been applicable to Jammu and Kashmir since March 20, 2009.
But while the Act is picking up in the state, the pendency of cases is reportedly on rise primarily in absence of the full-fledged State Information Commission (SIC).
The state government is yet to appoint the two Information Commissioners, though it had promised to do so before the start of recent Budget Session in Jammu.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:00:00 IST