Union HRD Ministry returns RTI application

Following a complaint by the aggrieved applicant, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has issued summons to the erring authority to attend a hearing on October 9.

The reason for returning the application by the HRD Department is that the applicant has not mentioned in the Indian Postal Order for Rs 10, which is the fee towards the application, as to whom it should be payable. While returning the application along with the IPO, the Deputy Educational Advisor of the department has suggested to the applicant to mention the name of the authority to whom the IPO was payable. However, the same thing would have been done by the information provider to avoid undue harassment and delay
In his complaint to the CIC, the applicant has stated that the applicants residing in remote areas of the country do not know who is the payable authority and more over the respondent has not displayed on his portal about the payable authority. In the event of wrong mention of payable authority on IPO it was sure the application would be returned. Therefore, the applicant had made a special mention in the application requesting the public authority to write the name of the appropriate authority on the IPO.

Taking cognisance of the complaint, the CIC has issued a notice to the Public Information Officer of the Union HRD Ministry’s concerned department to be present personally for a hearing on October 9.