NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission has imposed a total penalty of Rs 20,000 on two Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials, flagging ‘mala fide’ conduct and a “misleading and incorrect” RTI reply in a case where information was furnished for an entirely different property that was linked to unauthorised basement use in Shastri Nagar.
The applicant said that the MCD provided a reply about a completely different property, despite repeated representations. The CIC noted that the RTI plea “remained unattended within the stipulated time frame, in clear violation of the provisions of the RTI Act, 2005.”
Rejecting the explanation that the lapse occurred due to improper diarisation of the RTI application, the commission said that administrative lapses cannot be a ground to escape liability.
A penalty of Rs 5,000 was also imposed on the then Public Information Officer (PIO) for not furnishing any reply within the prescribed period, while Rs 15,000 was levied on the present PIO for providing “incorrect and misleading information” and failing to comply with the commission’s directions.
The CIC also mentioned that the reply furnished by the Corporation referred to a different property altogether, despite repeated objections by the appellant highlighting the discrepancy in the procedure.
The commission asked the MCD to recover the penalty amounts from the salaries of the officials concerned and submit proof of payment within a stipulated timeline.
The commission has also ordered the present PIO to provide a “revised, complete and correct reply” specific to the property in question and furnish the action-taken report within three weeks.
The first appellate authority has also been asked to ensure compliance and place the investigation report on record within six weeks.
Civic body seals two commercial establishments
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