Central Information Commission
Appeal No.CIC/WB/C/2007/00634-SM dated 06.06.2007
Right to Information Act-2005-Under Section (19)
Dated 02.02.2009
Complainant : Shri Rattan Lal
Respondent : Defence Estate Officer, Ministry of Defence
The Appellant is not present in spite of notice.
On behalf of the Respondent the following are present:-
(i) Shri Satish Kumar, ADEO
(ii) Shri S.C. Pant, CPIO/SDO-III
The brief facts of the case are as under.
2. The Complainant had requested the CPIO way back on 6 June 2007 seeking certain
information in regard to a particular property located in the jurisdiction of certain Cantonment
Board. He received no reply from the CPIO, neither during the stipulated period nor thereafter. He
has come to the Commission in this complaint against the total lack of response from the CPIO
concerned.
3. During the hearing, the Complainant was not present in spite of notice. We heard the
submissions of the Respondent. The Respondent explained that since the CPIO concerned
retired around that time and the first Appellate Authority got transferred out, no action was taken
on the original application. We find this explanation unacceptable. If one CPIO gets transferred,
his work should be entrusted to someone else within the organisation. In any case, the successor
of the officer or any new CPIO should have taken action on the application and provided the
Complainant with the information. We view this very seriously and would like to record our
displeasure at this conduct.
4. The Respondent further informed us that, in the meanwhile, they have sent the desired
information to the Appellant.
5. Since the information has been provided, even though inordinately late, we dispose off
this complaint without any further direction on the question of penalty due to the late providing of
information.
6. Copies of this order be given free of cost to the parties.
(Satyananda Mishra)
Information Commissioner
Authenticated true copy. Additional copies of orders shall be supplied against application
and payment of the charges prescribed under the Act to the CPIO of this Commission.
(Vijay Bhalla)
Assistant Registrar