Harish Gupta. New Delhi
What happens when the director of Indira Gandhi National centre for the Arts (IGNCA) once headed by Sonia Gandhi herself engaged in the pursuit of knowledge on arts and culture chooses to ignore a Right To information query?
The director is asked to appear before the Central Information Commission and personally explain the delay in furnishing information under the RTI application. The CIC was extremely up set that Prof S. Settar of the INGCA was responsible for denying the information when it was readily available. What shocked the RTI activists was the fact that IGNAC was once headed by Sonia Gandhi who had brought the transparency law into the country in 2005. Therefore, how could her successors violate the very law and spirit of the act.
The problem occurred when Ms P Lochan from Bengaluru sought information relating to the sacking of some of the employees of the Southern Regional Centre, IGNCA, since April 2005. She filed the application in May 2010 but got no response within the stipulated period. The hapless applicant knocked at the door of the CIC in February this year.
When the CIC asked the IGNCA for the reasons for the delay, the PIO stated that he had sought the assistance of Prof. S. Settar who is an Honorary Director having the required information. But the same was not provided by him and led to the delay.
The Information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, in his order held PIO V. P. Sharma guilty of not furnishing information within the time specified under sub-section (1) of Section 7 by not replying within 30 days. “As per the requirement of the RTI Act, it appears that the PIO’s actions attract the penal provisions of Section 20.
As if this was not enough, the CIC ordered that Prof. S. Settar will present himself before the Commission either through Video Conference or by personal presence on 05 August 2011 at 4.30pm along with his written submissions showing cause why penalty should not be imposed on him as mandated under the law. “He may go to the NIC-Studio at Bangaluru at 04.30PM on 05 August 2011 if he wishes to attend the show cause through Video Conference. He may also send written submissions if he wishes to the Commission before 20 July 2011” said the CIC.
Chinmaya R. Gharekhan is the chairman of IGNAC and board of trustees include Kanti Bajpai, Kapila Vatsyayan, Anil Baijal, Jawahar Sarkar, Dr Swati Piramal
Salman Haider and others.
