Education department official fined Rs25k for delay in RTI reply by a year

Time of India

4 hours ago

Gurgaon: Haryana State Information Commission (SIC) has imposed the maximum permissible penalty of Rs 25,000 on block education official Anita Chauhan for failing to provide information under Right to Information (RTI) Act within the stipulated 30-day period and instead delivering it nearly a year late.
Chauhan, who is also a deemed state public information officer (SPIO), was fined on June 12 after Saroj Yadav, a teacher, filed a complaint against her. Yadav's RTI application, filed on Aug 26, 2023, sought information on investigative reports, related to the block education office, prepared by block education officer.
The delay in dispatch of the information to the complainant came to light during hearings in 2024, when Yadav informed SIC that she only received the data after the commission issued a show-cause notice.
"What's the benefit of the information being in my favour if I don't get it on time?" Yadav said.
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The fine imposed by SIC in this case is notable as the amount is unprecedented. Gurgaon education department has not been imposed penalties exceeding Rs 5,000 before this.
Meanwhile, in her written submission to SIC, Chauhan admitted to the lapse, attributing the delay to a heavy workload and her unfamiliarity with RTI provisions.
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She also offered an unconditional apology. However, state information commissioner Kulbir Chhikara found her explanation "insufficient". His order referred to a 2014 Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment that mandates fines for delays without reasonable cause.
Proceedings were also initiated against SPIO-cum-block education officer Sudesh Kumar, but he was later exonerated by the commission after he said that Chauhan was responsible for diary and dispatch work alongside her RTI duties and had "overlooked" sending the reply.
The penalty amount of Rs 25,000 will be recovered by director of secondary education, Haryana, and the district education officer, Gurgaon.
This amount must be deposited into the commission's designated account by Oct 31, 2025, with the registrar of SIC tasked with monitoring compliance.
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