CHENNAI: RTI petitioner David Manohar, whose name and address was allegedly revealed by the Pallavaram Municipality to the very same builders he sought details on, says this is not the first instance of the civic body breaching rules.
In October 2016, he had requested information regarding a commercial building, only to be caught by the collar and threatened by the building’s owner for interfering in his interests. “I registered a case and police set up an enquiry,” Manohar told Express.
In April 2017, when he filed an RTI along with other petitioners with the Pallavaram Municipality, he claims that one of the women petitioners was harassed by the party on whom the information was sought. The person also possessed the list of persons who filed the RTI petition.
Revealing identity of an RTI petition is a violation of the Tamil Nadu Government Servants Code of Conduct. The Union Government had also in November 2013 issued a circular to all States instructing government offices to protect the identity of RTI petitioners. The circular was based on direction of the Calcutta High Court.
Also, the chapter 2 of the Right to Information Act clearly states that information can be considered ‘third party information’ only if it was provided to the government “in confidence.”
It also states that other than in cases of commercial secrets, if the public interest outweighs any possible harm to the other party, the information sought can be provided.
The municipality officials could not explain how details like the building plan and the inspections conducted on a construction premises falls under this catego ry.