--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Sundeep Jalan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Dear Krishna,
Your version of story reg my accepting SIC offer for safe passage is bad in taste. I had not gone to SIC home as what SIC had offered. Also, i took SIC car for churchgate stn because the situation was very tense there and police van were patrolling and i would have been questioned as what i am doing at this moment here. My leaving from the scene was entirely on other grounds. I was not willing to break law by illegally remaining in SIC office. It is a criminal offence and i told you all so. I was quite willing to sit with you people out side SIC office but you were not willing so. I left after warning given by police officials that we will be forcibly evicted from SIC if we do not leave. I was not prepared for any such incident to be reported in press and had been so, i would have been thrown out of my home by my father. sandeep. --- On Fri, 28/11/08, Krishnaraj Rao <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: Krishnaraj Rao <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [adhikaar] On Terror Night, RTI activists experienced Mumbai SIC's Gandhigiri To: "Krishnaraj Rao" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], "karmayog.org â" Vinay Somani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "âAnil Singh TOIâ" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Ashutosh Shukla" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "DNA speakup" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "HT Sayli Udas Mankikar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Hindustan Times" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Mid-Day Gujarati" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "âWajahat Habibullahâ" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Sailesh Gandhi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "bhavika jain" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Bhaskar Prabhu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Friday, 28 November, 2008, 11:18 AM As the terror attack began on the night of Wednesday, 26th November, seven RTI activists and appellants experienced the unique camaraderie of Chief State Information Commissioner Dr Suresh Joshi, and also the concern of SIC Ramanand Tiwari.  A piquant, heart-warming situation arose when the activists refused to leave the State Information Commission unless Dr Joshi gave RTI appellant Rupchand Laungani an order that he had promised him earlier in the day. Long after all the staff had left (except one peon) after office closing hours, Dr Joshi sat in his chamber writing his order, while the activists sat outside in the waiting area. The office is situated at the 13th floor of State Administrative Building, opposite Mantralaya, a few hundred metres from the Oberoi-Trident Hotel which was under attack. The RTI activists and appellants included Dr Nagendra Pandey, Sandeep Jalan, Mohammed Afzal, Krishnaraj Rao, G R Vora, Naveen Pandya and Mr Laungani, who is 65 years old. As news of the firing at CST and Leopold Cafe began to trickle in after 10 pm, the Chief SIC very genuinely offered to put them up at his own residence. At around 10.30, as grenade explosions were heard, Ramanand Tiwari returned to office and joined Dr Joshi in cajoling the activists to leave. "I promise to give you the typed order tomorrow by noon," Dr Joshi said (somewhat optimistically, considering the circumstances) . "Tonight, I can arrange safe passage for you. Alternatively, you can all be my guests for dinner, and stay the night at my house," he said. As midnight approached, Sandeep Jalan decided to take his offer for safe passage. Accordingly, Dr Joshi's car dropped him to Churchgate station, from where he got home to Vile Parle at close to 1 am. The other activists spent the night at the ground floor of the building, sleeping on flattened cardboard cartons or chatting with the police squad about the emergency meeting of ministers being held at the Mantralaya building opposite, the top police casualties etc. As the full gravity of the crisis sank in, the activists called off their dharna and intimated their decision to Dr Joshi and Mr Tiwari by SMS. As they left at 7.30 am, they saw several busloads of black cat commandos drive into Mantralaya. What the activists did on Wednesday evening: 1) At 5.15 pm, the activists accompanied RTI applicant Nagendra Pandey to his 4th round of 2nd appeal hearing (Yes, you heard that right!) At first, Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari felt that PIO (MHADA, Dy Registrar of Cooperatives) was justified in handing over photocopies of information (two years after RTI application was filed) without any written indication that these were being provided in reply to the RTI application. However, upon reasoning, Mr Tiwari instructed the PIO to immediately write a covering letter and sign at the back of each photocopied page.  Conclusion: If one reasons with Mr Tiwari with knowledge of the relevant sections (in our case, section 18 (1) (e) â" the possibility of PIO giving misleading or false information) , he gracefully changes his stand without making it a prestige issue. 2)At 6.00 pm, the activists accompanied RTI applicant Rupchand Laungani to his meeting. To give the PIO (Additional Commissioner of Police, Bandra Division) another chance to represent, Dr Joshi intended to call another 2nd appeal hearing. However, Mr Laungani strongly protested this as the 2nd appeal had already been held on 15th September, for many weeks, Dr Joshi had been promising to give him orders. When the activists reasoned with him, Dr Suresh Joshi agreed to promptly handwrite his order before leaving for home. The impasse that followed was because the activists were adamant that a Xerox copy of the handwritten order, whether rough or fair, must be provided the same evening. Conclusion: Dr Joshi is a sweet and reasonable man, who is generally open for friendly discussions. However, he can also be quite firm. All-in-all, he is a good person to discuss ideas with for better compliance of RTI. However, it is necessary to clearly write down all of one's points for his reading. Attached photos: 1) Dr Suresh Joshi reasoning with Mr Laungani late on Wednesday night. 2)Activists spending the night at the ground floor of New Admin Building 3)Activists at SIC L to R: Krish, Rupchand, Naveen, Afzal, Sandeep, Nagendra and Vora
