Dimapur, June 8 (EMN): An activist group in Nagaland has informed about a decision to approach the Central Information Commission (CIC) at New Delhi allegedly 'for denial of information' by the government of Nagaland about the facilities provided to non-legislators who are recently appointed in the rank of cabinet ministers and ministers of state.
The organisation, the Nagaland Public Rights Awareness and Action Forum (NPRAAF) issued a statement stating that it shall also be seeking information about the provisions of law through which the appointments were made. A press release received here on Friday from the information and publicity wing of the forum informed that the decision was taken during its executive council meeting on June 8 in Dimapur.
The press release stated: “NPRAAF president filed an RTI on 7th May 2018, in the chief secretary office seeking information under RTI Act of 2005 affixing requisite stamp seeking information on the facilities provided to the 13 non-legislators appointed in the rank of cabinet ministers and ministers of state so as to know if the facilities provided to the 13 (thirteen) PDA members falls within the purview of sec 21 IPC and whether the appointment outwitted Article 164 (1A) which was inserted in the constitution on the recommendation on National commission for review of working of constitution headed by former chief justice of India, MN Venkatachaliah on misuse and drainage of public money to put a ban on over-sized cabinet.”
The forum stated that the NPRAAF was informed by the chief secretary's office that, the RTI application was forwarded to cabinet secretariat on May 8. However, ‘no information was received from both ends after enactment of RTI Act, 2005 Right to information is more than a constitutional right is a statuary legal right.’
Pointing out that before the enactment of RTI Act, 2005, RTI was part of Article 19(1) (a) of constitution of India (freedom of speech and expression), which is the Fundamental Right, the NPRAAF said therefore denial of information is denial of Fundamental Right and violation of statuary legal right to a citizen which is liable under law.
The NPRAAF also mentioned that the forum has asked the state government to furnish the said information to initiate any legal course of action for the illegal appointments in accordance to the RTI response. However, the same was denied.
Meanwhile, the NPRAAF also informed the department of Land Resource, PHE and Rural Development not to further delay the information sought by the forum on May 7, as the mandatory period of one month for RTI reply ends on June 7. Failing to furnish the information, the forum has cautioned that the matter will be taken up to CIC Delhi.
The NPRAAF also stated that the decision to bypass the first Appellate Authority and State information Commission (SIC) Office was because the forum has no confidence in it.
The NPRAAF is stated to have approached the State Information Commission (SIC) on May 24 20016 after the Home department denied information on High Power Committee (HPC) report headed by Justice HK Sema, Supreme Court judge (Rtd). However, it said the information was denied on various pretext of law. For the stated reason, the forum informed that it has decided not to approach SIC anymore on denial of information but approach the CIC Delhi as authorized in the section 18 (1) , under the provision of RTI Act 2005.
