The Gujarat State Information Commission (GSIC) has taken a strict stance against the misuse of the Right to Information (RTI) Act by imposing an annual limit on a government clerk. The commission barred the senior clerk from the revenue department from submitting more than one RTI application per year. This decisive action comes after the officer allegedly filed a staggering 380 applications over a three-year period concerning the same salary dispute.
Commission Cites Misuse and Administrative Burden
In a significant order, State Chief Information Commissioner Dr. Subhash Soni ruled that the official had "repeatedly misused the RTI" mechanism. The commission noted that the officer submitted "voluminous and repetitive pleas" on identical service-related issues, which had already been addressed by the finance department on multiple occasions. This placed an undue administrative strain on the public authorities involved.
The order was passed following a hearing held on December 19 last month at the commission's Gandhinagar office. The commission's records revealed that apart from the RTI applications, the individual also filed numerous first and second appeals on the same subject matter, primarily concerning pay protection and the linking of past services.
Details of the Excessive Filings and Court Appeals
The GSIC order provided a detailed breakdown of the clerk's activities. It stated that the complainant filed a total of 46 RTI applications on the same subject, in addition to more than 380 general applications during the last three years. Despite receiving detailed replies repeatedly, the officer continued to file fresh applications.
The commission also highlighted that the officer had approached the Gujarat High Court five separate times on the same issue but was denied relief in every instance. Furthermore, the GSIC rejected the officer's demand for a refund of Rs 14 paid as copying fees, noting that certified copies of the requested information had already been supplied to him.
The Final Order and Its Implications
Invoking Section 7(9) of the RTI Act, which deals with disproportionate diversion of resources, the commission imposed strict restrictions. The order explicitly directs the complainant not to file more than one application per year under the RTI Act on matters relating to service linkage or pay protection.
Public Information Officers (PIOs) have been instructed to strictly implement this decision. They must reject any application from this individual that exceeds the permitted annual limit and inform the applicant through a simple communication. The GSIC emphasized that this restriction is necessary to prevent abuse of the law and to ensure that genuine RTI applicants are not deprived of timely access to information due to the actions of a single individual.
