Denial of information by a one liner reply

The appellant had worked on deputation for three years with CONCOR and sought information about the Foreign Service Contribution (FSC) due to which payment of his gratuity had been stopped. The PIO replied that the applicant may seek the information from the concerned Railway Administration and the detailed response can be obtained by the applicant from the concerned East Central Railway. The CIC observed that the denial of information by the PIO on both the points of RTI Application in one liner without substantiating the same under any relevant exemption clause of Section 8 (1) of the RTI Act depicts that this case has been handled badly which is contrary to the spirit of the RTI Act. Observing that the PIO is expected to have applied her mind and should have facilitated relevant information as sought by the appellant by invoking Section 5(4) or Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, the CIC commented that “This reply is as bad as possible”. The CIC held that inaction on the part of then CPIO and the present CPIO is prima facie established. As the then PIO had superannuated, the CIC issued a show cause notice to the present PIO for imposing penalty. Further, the Respondent was directed to re-examine the contents of RTI Application and provide a point-wise revised updated reply against all the points.

Comments

It is observed that some PIO’s try to wash their hands off by giving vague or terse reply. Such casual conduct of the PIO causes unwarranted obstruction to the free flow of information and is a violation of the provisions of the RTI Act which may lead to punitive action against them.

Citation:Vijay Kumar Verma v. Container Corporation of India Ltd, File No: CIC/CCOFI/A/2024/105017; Date of Decision: 11.07.2025

Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com