Bhubaneswar: In a significant move aimed to preserve the sanctity and integrity of the Right to Information Act, the Odisha Information Commission (OIC) has directed the police authorities to conduct an enquiry into allegations of bribery involving a habitual RTI applicant.
In this connection, the Registrar of the Commission has addressed a letter to the state Director General of Police (DGP), seeking appropriate investigation, an official statement said on Tuesday.
The Commission recently received a complaint along with a video clip, wherein an RTI applicant, namely Tankadhar Sahu of Balangir district, was allegedly seen demanding illegal gratification from Public Information Officers (PIOs) for withdrawing his RTI complaints.
On scrutiny of records, it was observed that the said applicant had filed hundreds of RTI applications against various government departments, many of which are at different stages of adjudication before the Commission.
Further examination revealed that the applicant had been frequently camping in Bhubaneswar and allegedly demanding bribes from PIOs and First Appellate Authorities attending hearings before the OIC.
It was alleged that he adopted a method of seeking adjournments during hearings and, upon receipt of illegal gratification, withdrawing the cases. The matter was placed before a Full Bench of the Commission, which, after due consideration, decided to refer the case to the Police for enquiry, along with the video clip and related materials as evidence. The Commission has also decided to keep all cases filed by the said applicant pending till completion of the police enquiry.
The Commission has further directed all PIOs and First Appellate Authorities to keep the cases filed by the said applicant pending and to identify other instances, if any, where provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005 have been misused.
While taking this tough move, the Commission reiterated its commitment to transparency and accountability and cautions against any misuse of the RTI Act for personal gain.
