AMOUNT OF FEE FOR SEEKING INFORMATION IS PAYABLE TO THE CPIO NOT TO THE ACCOUNTS OFFICER

An RTI application has been returned back to the RTI activist Shri Rajat Kumar Bilaspur zone HP by the home ministry Government of India Central public information officer cum Deputy Secretary of the department with the comments that same may be required to be addressed to the accounts officer instead of the Central public information officer vide number A- 43020/01/2020-RTI-2588 dated 4-9-2020 which is not correct and relevant to the existing norms prefixed by the RTI act publications in this behalf where in it is clearly mentioned that An applicant, along with his application is required to send a demand draft or a challan or an Indian postal order of Rs ten payable to the public information officer of the public authority as fee prescribed for seeking information. As such the comments given by the Central public information officer government of India (home ministry) are not correct and justified as per the schedule of the RTI act publications mentioned in the issued directives by way and virtue of which the concerned Central public information officer has  wrongly returned back the application of the RTI activist which is harassment of the RTI activist and knowingly misconstrued by the CPIO for which he is liable to misusing the power of post and office however it is regretted to point that no action against the defaulters doing such lapse in the working under RTI has been taken by the CIC as well as the FAA even clear vision of the instructions under RTI that fee for seeking information is payable to the Central public information officer or the PIO