STATE OF PUNJAB Vs. STATE INFORMATION COMMISSION

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Both these writ petitions are amenable for being decided through a common verdict on account of theirs encapsulating similar facts, besides theirs being engendered by a common legal issue.

(2.) The instant writ petitions assail separate orders dtd. 8/2/2016 passed by the State Information Commission, Punjab, whereby a penalty of Rs.25,000.00 has been fastened upon petitioner No.2 under Sec. 20 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (hereinafter referred to as "the RTI Act"), and compensation to the extent of Rs.20,000.00has also been awarded in favour of respondent No.2/applicant under Sec. 19(8)(b) of the RTI Act, payable from the funds of the public authority.

(3.) The concise and compendious factual matrix germane to the disposal of the instant writ petitions is that respondent No.2, who was an accused in a criminal case, submitted an application dtd. 5/12/2012 under the RTI Act seeking copies of the daily diaries maintained by the Station House Officers posted at Police Station Jagraon during the period 2004-2005. However, the S.H.O., Police Station City Jagraon-cum-Public Information Officer, vide letter dtd. 4/1/2013, declined to furnish the said information by invoking the provisions of Sec. 8 of the RTI Act. Thereafter, respondent No.2 submitted another application dtd. 20/2/2013 under the RTI Act seeking the following information:-