In a significant order, the Orissa High Court has directed the Information and Public Relations department to take a decision on providing orders of Odisha Information Commission (OIC) translated into Odia.
Hearing a petition filed by Nilamani Joshi, a resident of Balangir, Justice B K Patel directed that the Secretary, I and PR department, must take a decision within two months on desirability and necessity of providing to parties Odia translated copies of the decisions issued in English by the information panel.
In his petition, Joshi had submitted that all decisions of the OIC should be provided in Odia.
His counsel contended that the information panel has provided forms for filing of applications seeking information as well as submitting appeals in Odia since most people are not conversant with English.
However, decisions are issued in English.
The commission contended that there is lack of infrastructure for translating the decisions into Odia.
The plea of the petitioner does not appear to be tenable when forms are also provided in Odia.