Karnataka High Court Dismisses Activist's Plea for Fined RTI Officials' Details
· India · Indian Express, Times of India
The Karnataka High Court dismissed a petition filed by activist Ramesh Babu N seeking details of public information officers who failed to provide information under the Right to Information Act in 2021-22. A bench of Justice Suraj Govindaraj noted that the Karnataka Information Commission does not maintain records of fines collected or disciplinary action taken against erring officers. When questioned by the judge, the activist's counsel stated that Babu was a public-spirited person but failed to provide a specific reason for requesting the information. The court termed the application an abuse of the RTI Act, stating that the law cannot be used for a roving or fishing inquiry into actions taken under Section 20. Advocate G B Sharath Gowda, appearing for the commission, explained that penalties are directed to be paid to the state exchequer by superior officers of the concerned departments.
Why it matters
This ruling sets a strict precedent on the limits of transparency laws, reinforcing that information commissions are not required to maintain penalty collection records and that applicants must state a valid purpose rather than launching fishing inquiries.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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