CHENNAI: The state information commission has directed the Pollachi South panchayat union to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation to an RTI applicant for misplacing files and failing to furnish documents sought under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
The order was passed while hearing an appeal filed by M Muthumani, who had sought information from the panchayat union office. In December 2025, state Information Commissioner R Priyakumar had directed the assistant director of the rural development department to submit a report on whether the information sought by the applicant had been provided.
When the matter came up for hearing on May 12, the present Public Information Officer (PIO) of the panchayat union, M Santhosam, appeared before the commission and submitted a report.
According to the report, former PIO Sakthivel and former appellate authority V Senthilkumar had furnished the information sought by the applicant within the stipulated time.
However, the supporting documents and registers connected to the information were allegedly misplaced during repeated office relocations. Rejecting the explanation, the commission observed that safeguarding records and ensuring their proper transfer during office relocation is a basic responsibility of every government office.
It strongly criticised the Pollachi South Panchayat Union for administrative negligence and poor record management. Invoking Section 19(8)(b) of the RTI Act, it directed the public authority to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation to Muthumani within a week of receiving the order.
BASIC DUTY
The commission said safeguarding records and ensuring their transfer during office relocation is basic responsibility of every govt office