CIC wants RTI activist punished for misuse of law

NEW DELHI: In an unusual move, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has recommended action against an RTI applicant for misusing the law to harass his colleagues in a Delhi college.
The RTI applicant, Mohammed Shakeel Saifi, approached the CIC seeking information about complaints filed by his colleagues at Bhai Parmanand Institute of Business Studies in Delhi.
However, the tables turned when the commission found that Saifi was "misusing" the act by seeking information on medical expenses incurred by the principal and details of the integrity report of the committee members hearing complaints against him.In fact, Saifi had filed more than 36 applications under the RTI Act. Not just that, he had also shared a video on social media platforms of a fellow teacher lecturing, without her knowledge.
Coming down hard on the public authority information commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu directed that disciplinary action should be taken against Saifi and ruled that the women colleagues were liable for compensation for invasion of their privacy. The RTI Act is silent on action against misuse of the law though it has provision for a penalty of Rs 25,000 on the public authority if information is not given.
This is not a solitary case. In January information commissioner Sharat Sabharwal found that an applicant had filed 28 RTIs over a period of nine months with Sarva UP Gramin Bank in Muzaffarnagar in his name and his relatives after he was denied a loan.
Similarly, Thrissur based PD Raphael had filed 30 RTI applications against the CBSE after he was removed from a school for his misbehaviour, dereliction of duty and unauthorised leave.