Kenny said an advocate general is very much a public authority and his office would have to respond to requests under RTI.
Kantak, a Congress appointee who has stirred up a string of controversies, including the accusation of excess fees collected from the government, had turned down requests for information under the RTI Act.
A lawyer who challenged the advocate general’s contention that his office was beyond the jurisdiction of the RTI Act, won a significant fight on Thursday. The chief secretary has been directed to appoint a public information officer to handle RTI applications in the advocate general’s office.
The case is significant because lawyer Aires Rodrigues has also filed a complaint against Goa Governor S S Sidhu on similar lines. The governor’s lawyers have argued that under Article 361 of the Constitution, he is entitled to constitutional immunity in the case. The chief information commissioner is expected to pronounce an order in the governor’s case on Friday.
Published 17 March 2011, 17:27 IST