P. N. PRABAKARAN Vs. STATE OF TAMIL NADU

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner was appointed as a Junior Assistant on compassionate ground and thereafter as a Tahsildar in the Revenue Department in Salem District. He was transferred as Deputy Collector (Foreign Service) on 24/7/2013 joining service as Assistant Commissioner, East Zone, Corporation of Coimbatore. He served in that capacity between 24/7/2013 to 20/3/2015, after which, he was promoted to the post of Additional Personal Assistant to Collector (Land), Tiruppur District.

(2.) While in service in the Coimbatore Corporation, R5 had sought certain information under the provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (in short 'Act') vide an application dtd. 23/12/2013. The sum and substance of the information sought relates to a file pertaining to land vide ROC 3725/2004/East-H1, dtd. 24/7/2006.

(3.) The petitioner claims that despite best efforts, the file was not traceable. However, he would also confirm that since the file was of 2006 vintage, he had had no occasion to deal with the same and had never encountered that file after his appointment in the Coimbatore Corporation. He thus communicated to the petitioner on 21/1/2014 that the file was untraceable and that the information sought could be furnished only after, and subject to it being found.