THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Information Commission has imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on former deputy registrar P Raghavan, who was in charge of the RTI (Right to Information) division of Kerala University, for not giving proper answers to RTI applications. The commission imposed the fine in an order issued on September 5 after an investigation and listening to explanations from the parties concerned based on the complaint lodged by Emmanuel Thomas, former HOD of psychology.
On June 25, 2020, the university registrar issued an order prohibiting Emmanuel Thomas from entering the university campus in Kariyavattom for unknown reasons. He was not permitted to enter the campus since his retirement in March 2018. So the professor approached the university, seeking clarification on the ban imposed on him for no legitimate reason. However, the authorities refused to provide the information sought by Emmanuel Thomas through an RTI application.
“I filed an RTI application in 2020. It took 90 days to give a reply due to the pandemic situation then. But they gave a vague reply, and the reason was not mentioned. Then I approached the then Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Vinson M Paul for further action. He held a special hearing. However, a final order has been issued only now. As Raghavan has retired, the fine can be imposed on him as he has to do that work in his personal capacity too,” Emmanuel Thomas said.
Earlier, the CIC had found serious lapses on the part of the university authorities and ordered that all employees of Kerala University dealing with RTI must be given a mandatory awareness class. He had also ordered the university to inform him if there were any good reasons for not taking disciplinary action against Raghavan.