BHUBANESWAR: The State Information Commission (SIC) on Saturday barred one Chittaranjan Sethy of Puri district from filing RTI applications for one year for allegedly abusing the process.
Sethy, a native of Satapuri village, had filed 61 applications seeking information from Miteipur gram panchayat and Nimapara block office, demanding month-wise and year-wise details of income, expenditure and development works.
The Commission observed that despite receiving responses and opportunities to inspect documents, Sethy continued filing repetitive applications. Dismissing all 61 cases filed by the appellant, state information commissioner SK Mohanty directed Puri collector to verify the genuineness/status of BPL cards used to file applications indiscriminately and take appropriate action.
“The applicant’s conduct is an abuse of RTI process. His act is a clear indication of misuse. No doubt the applicant being a citizen of India has the right to get the information under the RTI Act, 2005, but he/she is also duty bound to obey the law of land and procedure,” the order stated.
While putting a ban on filing new RTI applications for one-year, the SIC has put a cap on queries allowing him to file 12 RTI applications before various public authorities in one calendar year. He will also have to submit an affidavit disclosing the number of applications filed by him with every RTI application.
The SIC has also issued a state-wide advisory to departments to ignore applications from the appellant under section 7 (a) of the RTI Act, 2005, if they are found to be repetitive or burdensome.
“Addressing such RTI applications results in significant wastage of time and resources for the government departments. This strain on public resources detracts from the regular and essential functions of public authorities. No institution dedicated to democracy, including the Information Commission, can agree to the disproportionate/uncontrolled use of such a sacred act,” read the order.