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| Govt moves SC against HC order on RTI rules; CM not taken into confidence | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Oct 31: Bureaucracy in J&K is not keeping the Chief Minister informed about some important issues, raising a question mark on the functioning of the Government itself.
For example, CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was not at all taken into confidence when the Government decided to challenge the J&K High Court order over RTI rules in Supreme Court.
Details available with Early Times reveal that the High Court had advised the Government last year to have a relook into strengthening of J&K RTI Rules which were repealed by the National Conference Government few years ago.
A petition was moved by a Jammu-based lawyer B R Manhas before the High Court over repealing of J&K RTI Rules 2010. Instead of taking the orders of High Court seriously, the Government hardly took any steps to implement the order. When the time elapsed and the High Court sent a notice to Government for contempt of court, the Government on the advice of former Chief Secretary Iqbal Khandey filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in Supreme Court by paying hefty amount to some lawyers.
Notably, the State Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) G R Sufi had criticized the previous Government for repealing J&K RTI Rules 2010 which gave enough autonomy to the SIC which has been constituted under Jammu Kashmir RTI Act 2009.
While addressing annual convention of Central Information Commission in New Delhi on October 7, Sufi gave a detailed talk on the implementation of RTI Act in J&K. He said that it was so unfortunate that previous Government repealed the RTI Rules in 2012 which curtailed the powers of SIC. He also urged upon the present Government to look into this issue and ensure restoration of RTI rules of 2010.
During his inaugural address Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stressed for pro-active and voluntary disclosure of information. This statement has sent a strong message to the Government officials that there should be no compromise over the effective implementation of Right to Information Act (RTI).
Modi said that Government officials must change their mindset and ensure effective dissemination of information for people. He said the citizens should be provided information without any delaying tactics by the officials.
The statement of PM has come at time when the vested interested people are trying to dilute the RTI across country. In J&K, previous Government also diluted the RTI rules by amending them in September 2012 and since then they haven't been restored by the present Government.
When the Government could have restored the rules bureaucrats hardly looked into the HC orders and when the time elapsed they knocked the doors of Supreme Court without informing the Chief Minister.
It may be mentioned that the J&K State RTI Act was enacted on March 20, 2009 but even after a lapse of six years the Government departments have miserably failed to make voluntarily disclosure of information about which the PM also stressed. |
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