The State Information Commission (SIC) is supposed to provide exact information on everything. But it seems the commission is furnishing faulty information about itself. On the website of SIC, keralasic.gov.in, K Natarajan remains the State Information Commissioner, nearly a year after his suspension.
Natarajan was suspended in November, 2012 by the then Governor H R Bhardwaj, following the allegation that he had tried to interfere in the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) investigation into a land allotment case involving V S Achuthanandan.
The website has a photo of Natarajan with an explanatory title ‘State Information Commissioner’ along with Chief Information Commissioner Siby Mathews and four information commissioners.
Information Commissioner C S Sasikumar, when contacted, said that he would look into the issue.
“Natarajan remains suspended and all the duties he used to perform, including disposal of files, are now being performed by other commissioners, which means that he is in no way involved in the functioning of the commission. The reason why the website still carries his photo might be the fact that he was not expelled. But the information is definitely misleading. At least it should have been mentioned that he is ‘not in office’ or ‘under suspension’.
I will take up the issue with the higher authorities and necessary action will be initiated,” Sasikumar said. However, it is evident that the SIC website is not being updated since no recent information is available on the disposal of cases.
Last year, action was taken against Natarajan following the allegation that he had tried to influence the then Deputy Superintendent of Police V G Kunhan who was investigating the case.
The charge against Achuthanandan was that he had allotted land to a relative of his, violating norms, when he had been the chief minister. An inquiry conducted by Additional Director General of Police (Vigilance) R Sreelekha reported that the Information Commissioner had misused his office and recommended his suspension.
Subsequently, the Governor suspended him and referred the matter to the Supreme Court seeking a statutory inquiry by a judge and the case is now pending before the apex court.