THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: State Information Commissioner A Abdul Hakim has directed officers, who overcharged RTI applicants for providing information, to return the excess fees.
In Alappuzha’s Muhamma panchayat, Rachana, an applicant, was charged Rs 864 for nine pages of copies of the information she sought, instead of the actual amount of Rs 27. Officer P V Vinod was instructed to reimburse Rs 843 from his pocket.
Matilda Simon, an officer at the State Survey Directorate in Thiruvananthapuram, provided 309 pages of copies to V N Rashmi and collected Rs 927 from her instead of Rs 45 for 15 pages. She is required to refund Rs 882.
Both officers have been issued a show-cause notice with a 14-day deadline to explain the reason for collecting the excess amount. They also face potential fines of up to Rs 25,000.
The powers of Information Officers under the Right to Information Act are governed by specific rules.
Commissioner Hakim said that officers must adhere to the regulations and warned of stringent actions against those who exploit applicants by disregarding these rules.