THE State Information Commission (SIC) has reprimanded the M S University (MSU) for its lack of sincerity in implementing the Right to Information Act, 2005 across it offices, fining its Registrar and Public Information Officer (PIO) A V Gupta Rs 15,000 in three separate cases. Livid at the piling cases under RTI owing to lackadaisical attitude of MSU authorities, the SIC has invoked section 25 (5) of the Act and recommended a string of measures for effective implementation of the Act across MSU.
In three separate judgements given on March 23 and 26, in response to applications made by professor K V R Murthy, Senate member Narendra Ravat, and lecturer Anjali Karolia, the State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC) R N Das found the Registrar’s attitude as not reasonable and unresponsive towards the Act. The same applies to the MSU vice-chancellor in his capacity as an appellate authority.
In response to the show-cause notices, Gupta had apologised profusely for the delay, taking refuge in the alibi that the Act is new and therefore he might have erred in understanding its true implications. SIC did not find the response reasonable. Taking him to task for so many complaints that have come before the SIC against him, the verdict in the case of Murthy says that the public authority has not been confirming to the provisions or spirit of the said Act.
The SIC has recommended that MSU designate as many officers as may be necessary as PIOs in its administrative units or offices under it. The varsity is to also designate assistant PIOs with clear instructions that their role would be limited to receiving applications for information or appeals for forwarding the same forthwith to the PIO.
The recommendations, to be implemented within a month of the order, ask that the PIOs/APIOs should be imparted training, if necessary, at the Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration (SPIPA) in regard to their functions, responsibilities, and obligations so that they perform their duties properly and within the specified time. Also, MSU would need to make proactive voluntary disclosures, display them on notice boards as well as on MSU website.
The status of RTI applications pending before the varsity PIO would need to be reviewed every month by the V-C to ensure timely furnishing of information to the applicants.
Other recommendations include that the MSU bulletin should contain information about the names, designations, telephone numbers of the PIOs/APIOs and the appellate authority. The boards/nameplates of such officers should also be displayed.
Incidentally, M S University Registrar Gupta has been undergoing a lean patch of late. Few days after he was slapped with show-cause notice by MSU pro-vice-chancellor for a goof-up at the Senate meeting, came the SIC blow.
Refusing to comment on SIC orders, MSU vice-chancellor Manoj Soni said, “I have not studied the judgments of these three cases but I will see what we can do it as corrective measures.”