Panaji, Jun 6 (IANS): The Goa State Information Commission on Wednesday summoned the Secretary to the Goa Governor for non-compliance of the Right to Information Act.

Shanti Makwana Harding, the Under Secretary cum Registrar of the Commission, issued the summons in connection with a petition filed by city lawyer Aires Rodrigues, directing the Raj Bhavan official to appear before the Commission on June 13.

Rodrigues in his petition, filed before the Information Commission, stated that as the Goa Raj Bhavan is covered under the definition of public authority, the failure by the office to appoint a public information officer was "illegal, very high-handed, malafide and without reasonable cause".

The petition has also said that unlike other Raj Bhavans and even the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Goa Raj Bhavan had failed to come under the ambit of the Right to Information Act.

"The Goa Raj Bhavan has allowed it to be weakened and that it was imperative that this veil of secrecy be lifted so that there could be public scrutiny into the affairs and its working," the petitioner said.