Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

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    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f6e66809c3b-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f6e66809c3b-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f6e66809c3b-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f6e66809c3b-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f6e66809c3b-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f6e66809c3b-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f6e66809c3b-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f6e66809c3b-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &amp;quot;facts and circumstances&amp;quot; of the case.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &amp;quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official&#039;s salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &amp;quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. 

Activists said...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;font &gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &amp;quot;facts and circumstances&amp;quot; of the case.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &amp;quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official&#039;s salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &amp;quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &amp;quot;facts and circumstances&amp;quot; of the case.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &amp;quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official&#039;s salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &amp;quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
	&#039;credit_writer&#039; =&gt; &#039;The Hindustan Times, 2 November, 2010, http://www.hindustantimes.com/Activists-lament-courts-going-soft-on-RTI-offenders/Article1-620907.aspx&#039;,
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The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. 

Activists said...&#039;
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The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission's (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. 

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                <strong>Activists lament courts going soft on RTI offenders</strong></h1>
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                <font ><br /></font><div align="justify"><font >The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission's (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. </font><br /><br /><font >Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.</font><br /><br /><font >And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.</font><br /><br /><font >Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.</font><br /><br /><font >In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.</font><br /><br /><font >He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &quot;facts and circumstances&quot; of the case.</font><br /><br /><font >Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&quot;</font><br /><br /><font >In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately</font><br /><br /><font >provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.</font><br /><br /><font >The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.</font><br /><br /><font >The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official's salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).</font><br /><br /><font >Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&quot;</font><br /><br /><font >However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.</font><br /><br /><font >&quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&quot;</font><br /><br /><font >&quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&quot;</font><br /><br /></div>               </font>
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &amp;quot;facts and circumstances&amp;quot; of the case.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &amp;quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official&#039;s salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &amp;quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. 

Activists said...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;font &gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &amp;quot;facts and circumstances&amp;quot; of the case.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &amp;quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official&#039;s salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &amp;quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Activists lament courts going soft on RTI offenders&#039;,
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &amp;quot;facts and circumstances&amp;quot; of the case.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &amp;quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official&#039;s salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &amp;quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. 

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$disp = &#039;&lt;font &gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &amp;quot;facts and circumstances&amp;quot; of the case.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &amp;quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official&#039;s salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &amp;quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;
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                <strong>Activists lament courts going soft on RTI offenders</strong></h1>
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                <font ><br /></font><div align="justify"><font >The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission's (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. </font><br /><br /><font >Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.</font><br /><br /><font >And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.</font><br /><br /><font >Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.</font><br /><br /><font >In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.</font><br /><br /><font >He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &quot;facts and circumstances&quot; of the case.</font><br /><br /><font >Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&quot;</font><br /><br /><font >In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately</font><br /><br /><font >provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.</font><br /><br /><font >The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.</font><br /><br /><font >The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official's salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).</font><br /><br /><font >Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&quot;</font><br /><br /><font >However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.</font><br /><br /><font >&quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&quot;</font><br /><br /><font >&quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&quot;</font><br /><br /></div>               </font>
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &amp;quot;facts and circumstances&amp;quot; of the case.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &amp;quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official&#039;s salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &amp;quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. 

Activists said...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;font &gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;font &gt;The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &amp;quot;facts and circumstances&amp;quot; of the case.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &amp;quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official&#039;s salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &amp;quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;font &gt;&amp;quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &amp;quot;facts and circumstances&amp;quot; of the case.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &amp;quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official&#039;s salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &amp;quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;font face=&quot;arial,helvetica,sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&amp;quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&amp;quot;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission&#039;s (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. 

Activists said...&#039;
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The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission's (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. 

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                <strong>Activists lament courts going soft on RTI offenders</strong></h1>
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                <font ><br /></font><div align="justify"><font >The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission's (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. </font><br /><br /><font >Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.</font><br /><br /><font >And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.</font><br /><br /><font >Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.</font><br /><br /><font >In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.</font><br /><br /><font >He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &quot;facts and circumstances&quot; of the case.</font><br /><br /><font >Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&quot;</font><br /><br /><font >In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately</font><br /><br /><font >provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.</font><br /><br /><font >The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.</font><br /><br /><font >The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official's salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).</font><br /><br /><font >Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&quot;</font><br /><br /><font >However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.</font><br /><br /><font >&quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&quot;</font><br /><br /><font >&quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&quot;</font><br /><br /></div>               </font>
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission's (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. </font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &quot;facts and circumstances&quot; of the case.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&quot;</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official's salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&quot;</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&quot;</font><br />
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&quot;</font><br />
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission's (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. </font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the &quot;facts and circumstances&quot; of the case.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, &quot;The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal.&quot;</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official's salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments).</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, &quot;Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time.&quot;</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect.</font><br />
<br />
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty.&quot;</font><br />
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<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="3">&quot;However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision.&quot;</font><br />
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The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission's (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. 

Activists said...'
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Activists lament courts going soft on RTI offenders

The trend of government officials approaching the High Court against the Central Information Commission's (CIC) decision imposing fines on PIOs for delay in information to applicants under the RTI Act has started a debate amongst the RTI activists. Activists said very few information commissioners have levied monetary fine on the Public Information Officers (PIOs), who do not comply with the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. And now the decisions of those who impose fine are being challenged in the court. Two recent instances saw the Delhi High Court reduce the penalty imposed on the PIOs for not providing information on time. In case of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) vs Atma Prakash Mehta case, justice S Muralidharan had reduced the penalty. He ordered for the penalty on the MCD official to be reduced from Rs 18,500 to Rs 7,000, to be recovered from him in two equal installments of Rs 3,500 per month in view of the "facts and circumstances" of the case. Gaurang Kant, the lawyer who represented Mehta, said, "The CIC had imposed the fine in excess by way of two orders against the same appeal." In the RA Haritash vs Anand Bhushan case, the Delhi High Court took it on record that the information was ultimately provided on March 27, 2010, when the application under RTI was originally filed on November 4, 2009. The PIO claimed he had joined on November 18, 2009, 14 days after the RTI application was filed. The HC ordered reduction of the penalty from Rs 25,000 (to be recovered from the official's salary) to just Rs 2,500 (to be recovered from his salary in 10 installments). Vibhav Kumar, an activist-member of NGO Kabir, said, "Overall it seems that the judiciary is working to weaken the RTI Act. Orders like this wherein penalty amount is reduced will encourage more PIOs to not give information on time." However, RTI activist Lokesh Batra, points out another aspect. "Only if the Honourable High Court is convinced by the PIO that the delay was beyond his control for a certain period, then the Court is justified in reducing the penalty." "However, even if the penalty has been reduced, the High Court has held the PIO guilty of delay and thus upheld the CIC decision."