news details |
|
|
| Hears just two to three cases per day | | SIC accountable to whom? | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, June 21: An institution for ensuring accountability, transparency and justice was created in the state in the form of J&K State Information Commission (SIC) some five years back aftermath of the enactment of Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act (J&K RTI Act 2009) . As scores of cases which includes second appeals and complaints are piling up at the Commission's office in Srinagar and Jammu , the SIC has failed to deliver justice to the bruised people of Jammu and Kashmir and the reason is that at on an average the Commission takes up only two cases for hearing per day.
As per the details available on the SIC's website itself, the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) G R Sufi as well as other two Information Commissioners (ICs) viz Prof SK Sharma and Nazir Ahmad take up only two to three cases for hearing on an average per day. Analyzing the weekly cause list of SIC's website, the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) has heard less than 800 cases in the last two and a half years (From Dec 2011 till June 2014) and same is the case with other two Information Commissioners but as compared to three Prof SK Sharma has heard a bit of more cases than GR Sufi and Nazir Ahmad. On contrary , the Information Commissioners at Central Information Commission New Delhi and Information Commissioners in the various Sate Information Commissions take up minimum half a dozen or more cases for hearing every day and one of the Information Commissioner's at Central Information Commission New Delhi Shailesh Gandhi who retired last year used to take up minimum 20 to 24 cases for hearing and in-spite of that there are hundreds of cases pending for disposal in these Information Commissions. The observers feel that cases of second appeals and complaints under section 15 of J&K RTI Act 2009 are piling up at J&K SIC and if the Information Commissioners don't take their work seriously, the people won't get justice at all from the State Information Commission and the spirit behind this legislation to enforce accountability and transparency will get defeated.
While talking to Early Times Fayaz Ahmad (name changed) an RTI appellant said that he filed a second appeal before the SIC office in Srinagar some seven months back but till date his case has not been listed even for preliminary which violates the State RTI Act . Pertinent to mention that under J&K RTI Act 2009 , the RTI second appeal filed before the State Information Commission (SIC) has to be disposed off within 60 days time but the appellants are made to wait for months together by the non serious attitude of CIC as well as other Information Commissioners. Another person Sudarshan Singh from Jammu said that the essence of RTI Act is to ensure the delivery of justice but on contrary the SIC finds technical loopholes in the drafting of complaint and appeal applications and thus avoids hearings on merits. "How can an ordinary citizen know all the legal points and for that he or she has to consult a lawyer who will charge hefty amount from RTI applicants as fees and all this will damage the very essence of this great law" Sudarshan added. He also said that if the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and two other Commissioners are provided all the perks , high salaries and other amenities why don't they perform commensurate to the amenities enjoyed by them. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
