SIC asks top cop to pay `2,000 compensation to RTI petitioner.

Warangal: The State Information Commission (SIC) has directed Warangal Commissioner of Police G Sudheer Babu to pay a compensation of Rs 2000 to an appellant in connection with an RTI petition filed at Atmakur police station.

The compensation was asked to pay for causing inconvenience to the petitioner and for failing to provide information sought through the RTI petition.

The State Information Commissioner C Madhukar Raj has issued the orders in this connection under section 19 (8) (b) of RTI Act 2005. He asked the Commissioner of Police to file a compliance report before the SIC within 10 days of receipt of the order dated July 29, 2016.

According to the appellant, A Ramana Reddy of Hanamkonda, an RTI petition was filed at Atmakur police station on July 7, 2014 seeking the details of progress of a case related to issuing illegal pattadar passbooks by local revenue officials.

An FIR under crime number 169/13 was registered at the police station on June 12, 2013 following directions from first additional JFMC court in Warangal.

The Public Information Officer (PIO) who happens to the Circle Inspector of the police station failed to provide information even though more than one year passed since the application was made.

Following which the appellant Ramana Reddy approached the SIC in Sep 2014 responding to which the Information Commission for four times has summoned the PIO and concerned Assistant Police Commissioner (ACP) who happens to be first appellate authority in RTI cases for hearing.

The PIO appeared before the SIC only once and failed to provide information claiming that revealing the information could impede the investigation.

The PIO also failed to appear before the commission for a recent hearing called on June 28. The SIC took the absence of the police official at the hearing seriously and directed a show-cause to the PIO Ravi Kumar and asked him to reply to the notice.