VIA E-MAIL / BY HAND
06 JUNE 2012
All State Information Commissions,
Respected Sir,
Most humbly and respectfully I wish to invite your kind attention towards the resolution passed by the Hon'ble Central Information Commission in its meeting held on 13.9.2011 (copy attached – as downloaded from the website of Central Information Commission) when it resolved that :
1. "The Central Information Commission expresses regret and takes note of the reported killings of and assault on the RTI users across the country. The Commission underlines the need to take urgent steps by the respective Governments for the safety and protection of the RTI users. The Commission strongly believes that it is the duty and responsibility of the respective Governments to safeguard the life and liberty of the RTI users for which purpose they should invoke the relevant penal provisions for the prevention and detection of such heinous crimes.
2. This Commission, therefore resolves that if it receives a complaint regarding assault or murder of an information seeker, it will examine the pending RTI applications of the victim and order the concerned Department(s) to publish the requested information suo motu on their website as per the provisons of law.
3. This Commission also resolves that it will take proactive steps in ascertaining the status of investigations/prosecutions of the cases involving information seekers and endeavor to have these processes expedited."
The above resolution of the Central Information Commission brought some relief and respite not only to RTI activists, but also to the Information seekers in general, who have suffered tremendously in their struggle for transparency, accountability and reduction in corruption and during which more than 15 have lost their lives and innumerable others have been severely injured and beaten up by vested interests.
Every day new threats are bestowed on the honest Information Seekers by the same people or under their patronage, who are suppose to serve the people and who re there to protect them. This is a sad state of affairs and this needs to be curbed with a the same contempt which they are brutally showing to the information-seekers.
I therefore request ALL Honorable Chief State Commissioners, through your good self, to take a approach similar to the one adopted by the Central Information Commission, in the State Information Commission too, which you head, and the rights of the Information-Seekers may be protected in your state too. Also It is requested that the State Government and the Public Authorities may please be sensitized regarding this.
Thanking you,
Very Cordially yours
WITH GREETINGS AND WARM REGARDS
Surendera M. Bhanot
- Coordinator, RTIFED, Punjab Chandigarh
- Youth for Human Rights International - YHRI - South Asia
- Jt. Secretary, Amateur Judo Association of Chandigarh
- Member, SPACE - Society for Promotion and Conservation of Environment, Chandigarh
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