THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Information Commission has delivered a significant judgment concerning the denial of justice to an employee of the Kerala State Archives department during the pandemic by the department’s former director, J Reji Kumar, and former administrative officer, Joseph Scaria, who acted as the State Information Officer at the time.
In response to a complaint filed by R R Bindu, a superintendent who was denied information related to her promotion, the culpable officials have been directed to pay Rs 50,618 in total.
This amount includes Rs 25,618 to be paid directly to the complainant as a fine, with the remaining Rs 25,000 to be remitted to the Information Commission. The verdict was issued by Information Commission member A Abdul Hakeem.
The two implicated officials not only obstructed Bindu’s promotion but also engaged in promoting baseless complaints against her. Furthermore, she was unlawfully transferred from Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode during the pandemic.
While Reji Kumar has retired from service two months ago, the other accused, Joseph Scaria, is currently employed as an official at the KR Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts in Uzhavoor, Kottayam.