As reported in times of India Mumbai 29.03.09 regarding meet of RTI activist’s
on 28.03.09
SIC Ramanand Tiwari statement that even a paltry sum of Rs 5000 or even
monitory cost to applicants who have gone through such trauma to get
information cost of applications traveling costs etc on erring PIO’s ( forget
about Rs 25,000 ) is harsh on them and should not be imposed on PIO’s because
they have families,
This statement is absurd, against natural justice and against the principles of
the RTI act, the SIC hold their post as SIC equivalent to that of a Civic
court or a metropolitan court Judge.The SIC should quit his post for making
such statements or rather he is a corrupt Judge (SIC) as he is making a
mockery of the RTI act.
In such a case a person who Steals (robs) or commits murder should be
acquitted of his/her crime because he has done so because he too has a family
who are starving.
And not be sentenced to imprisonment ( Jail term )
These PIO’s families are not starving, many of the PIO’s do not give the
information
Because the scam will be exposed, or they have God fathers like Politicians who
will protect them, some of them as reported in news papers being caught
showering ill gotten wealth in dance bars. What is the UPA Government doing
about it? NOTHING
Because as believed many of them are corrupt and have money in Swiss banks
There is corruption in every Government department, in some cases PIO’s are
making lakhs of rupees in bribes, as one PIO had the audacity to tell a
applicant, let the SIC impose Rs 25,000 penalty I will pay it, What does this
statement means? Any one with common sense will understand the statement.
Even at 2nd appeal hearing when SIC orders the PI0 to make available the
information within a time frame say 7 days or 15 days, the PIO does not comply,
complains To SIC u/s sec 18 of RTI act of PIO failing to comply with his orders
falls on deaf ears, even at this stage of time the PIO is not penalized. RTI
applications made to PIO of SIC office on progress report ( file notings) on
complains made under sec 18 of the act the PIO does not reply within the time
frame
Thus the SIC office itself is setting a bad example
Ramanand tiwari says that since the issue is being raised he will try and
impose more penalties in future, in other words he admits that he has been soft
peddling and not implementing the RTI act for reasons best known to himself,
this statement is just an eye wash to turn down public anger, nothing will
ever change whether it is CSIC Suresh Joshi or SIC Ramanand Twari, as they know
too well who will pay them such high salaries with perks etc as they are
retired Government Servants, if they act tough the politicians will remove them
from their post, that’s the reason they soft peddle protecting the PIO’s
interest, as PIO’s are controlled by some powerful Politicians.
Leslie Almeida
