Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Feb 17: Kuvempu University’s registrar and public information officer, Krishnappa, has been fined Rs 25,000 by the state information commission, for his failure to provide proper information to the applicant as per the provision of the Right to Information Act.

Karnataka State Information Commissioner, Dr H N Krishna, through an order passed on Monday February 15, levied this fine.  In the order, the Commission said that the public information officer of Kuvempu University had neither furnished details for 15 different information sought by the complainant, D K Sainath. This was also proved during the inquiry, it added.

Out of 15 details sought by the complainant, the University had provided only two informations, that too, without certifying the same. Even after the Commission served summons, the University failed to give all the information sought. In the letter addressed to the applicant also, the address had been found to be written wrongly. As regards the levying of the fine too, the public information officer of the University neither submitted written statements, not attended the hearing. The Commission took all these things seriously.

The fine has been levied, as the concerned failed to obey instructions issued by the Commission twice, and then failed again, to attend the inquiry. The University has been directed to send the required information to the application free of cost within 15 days, and the fine has been ordered to be deducted in equal installments at the rate of Rs 5,000 per month from the registrar’s salary.