M.P.MURALIDHARAN Vs. STATE INFORMATION COMMISSION

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This Writ Petition has been filed against the impugned order passed by the first respondent, the Registrar, State Information Commission, Chennai in his proceedings tHf;F vz;/1080-tprhuiz-D/2014 (13913 and 28472)/D/2014) dtd. 27/7/2015 signed on 13/8/2015. Relevant portion of the impugned order reads as under:-

(2.) By the impugned order, the first respondent has accepted the petition filed by the second respondent and has imposed penalty of Rs.25,000.00 on the petitioner under Sec. 20(1) of the Right to Information Act (RTI) Act, 2005 for declaring to furnish information sought for by the second respondent.

(3.) The specific case of the petitioner is that the second respondent was an employee of the Tamil Nadu Adidravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO) and was suspended from service after conducting an enquiry on 29/6/2011 and thereafter was imposed with a fine of Rs.3,15,000.00. Frustrated with the punishment imposed, the second respondent abused the provisions of the RTI Act and preferred about 18 different applications and sought for informations which pertained to other co-delinquents. It is submitted that the informations sought for by the second respondent were not furnished as they were personal in nature. Therefore, it is submitted that the impugned order imposing a penalty of Rs.25,000.00 on the petitioner as a Public Information Officer under Sec. 20(1) of the RTI Act was liable to be quashed and interfered with.