Central Information Commission
2nd Floor, August Kranti Bhawan,
Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi-110066
Website: www.cic.gov.in
Decision No. 4140/IC(A)/2009
F. No. CIC/MA/A/2009/00376
Dated, the 7th July, 2009
Name of the Appellant : Shri Ranjan Das
Name of the Public Authority : Swami Vivekanand National Institute
of Rehabilitation Training. & Research.
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Facts
:
1. The appeal was heard on 6.07.2009, in absence of the appellant. The
CPIO was present.
2. The CPIO stated that the appellant, an employee of the respondent, has
asked for information relating to recruitment rules for appointment of the facility of
different departments. The requested information has been furnished as per the
available records. There is however no denial of information.
3. The CPIO also said that the appellant is in the habit of asking for similar or
identical information either directly by himself or through his associates. So far
the appellant and his friends have submitted seventeen applications through
which they have asked for the details of recruitment rules, qualification of staff,
their identity, etc. , all of which have been furnished. Yet, the appellant is not
satisfied. The CPIO also said that the appellant was mis-using the provisions of
the Act for harassing the officials of the respondent.
Decision:
4. The requested information, mainly the details of norms and criteria for
appointment and promotion of staff of the respondent, should be put in public
domain so that no one has to resort to the provisions of the RTI Act for accessing
the information. Moreover, the recruitment of faculty members is made through
open competition, which requires advertisement of positions along with the
prescribed education qualification and experience. Section 4 (1) of the Act,
If you don’t ask, you don’t get – Mahatma Gandhi
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therefore, requires maximum disclosure of information in respect of the entire
activities of a public authority. We therefore see no reason as to why the
provisions of the Act should be used for the information already in the public
domain.
5. As a member of faculty, the appellant could contribute to rectify the
deficiencies in the recruitment rules, if any, rather than making attempts to
trivialize the matter under the garb of seeking information. The fact that the
appellant has put up several RTI applications for seeking the same information,
i.e. recruitment rules for staff, shows that he is indeed mis-using the provisions of
the Act at the costs of the respondent for promotion of his personal interest,
which must be resisted.
6. The appellant has neither responded to the notice of hearing nor indicated
as to which information has been refused to him. This appeal is therefore
considered unnecessary and is thus disposed of.
Sd/-
(Prof. M.M. Ansari)
Central Information Commissioner
Authenticated true copy:
(M.C. Sharma)
Assistant Registrar
Name and address of parties: 2
1. Shri Ranjan Das, C/o Shri Charan Das, Plot No. 927, Tala Sahi, Laxmi
Nagar, Bhubaneswar-751006.
2. Shri B.K. Mohanty, Stores Officer & PIO, Swami Vivekanand National
Institute of Rehabilitation Training & Research, PO: Bairoi-754010, Dist:
Cuttack, Orissa.
All men by nature desire to know – Aristotle
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