Keralam Information Commissioner Warns Officials Over Missing RTI Files
· India · Hindustan Times, The Hindu
Keralam Information Commissioner T K Ramakrishnan has warned officials of strict legal action if they fail to provide information under the RTI Act by claiming that files are missing or unavailable. Speaking at a sitting in Kozhikode on Monday, Ramakrishnan stated that public authorities bear the sole responsibility for maintaining files and that each document must have a designated custodian. The Commission disposed of 15 complaints during the hearing, which included directing the Kunnamangalam panchayat RTI officer to trace a missing file for a local resident and reprimanding the Kozhikode Government Engineering College information officer for withholding documents. Further, the information officer at Nadapuram police station was instructed to release requested CCTV footage, while the Malabar Devaswom Board was told to compile and provide denied records. An awareness and training programme for district-level officials is scheduled for next month to ensure timely compliance with the R
Why it matters
Citizens seeking public records in Keralam will face fewer administrative delays as accountability shifts directly to designated file custodians within government departments.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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