THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a setback to the police, the State Information Commission (SIC) has directed the force to publicise details of personnel involved in criminal cases. The commission’s order came on an appeal petition filed by an RTI applicant who was denied information by the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB).
The police have been directed to publish the details of the officers on its website besides handing over a copy to the petitioner in the case before February 20. The SCRB had argued before the commission that it cannot part with details of the personnel since it was exempted from the purview of the RTI Act under Section 24(4). This section empowers the state government to exclude intelligence and security organisations from the purview of the RTI Act through a gazette notification.
During the course of the hearing, the SIC had asked the SCRB to submit details of such officers to verify whether it was such sensitive information. The SCRB submitted the details in a sealed cover. There were a total of 755 officers, from the rank of civil police officer to the assistant commissioner, involved in criminal cases.
The charges against them included corruption, use of abusive language, misbehaviour towards woman complainants, wrongful confinement, dowry harassment, assault, sexual abuse and rape. In his order disposing of the appeal petition, information commissioner S Somanathan Pillai said the exemption by the state government was not a blanket cover for the organisation. “Any information relating to incidents of corruption and human rights violation is not intended to be protected from disclosure by virtue of the provisions of Section 24 of the RTI Act,” the order said.
The order said the antecedents of police officials with a criminal bend of mind if made public will help the people to keep guard on such officials and exercise caution in dealing with them.
SIC order
● Police directed to publish the details of the officers on its website, besides handing over a copy to the petitioner in the case, before February 20.
● The order said the antecedents of police officials with a criminal bend of mind, if made public, will help the people to keep guard on such officers and exercise caution in dealing with them.