THE SIC MAY IMPOSE PENALTY, WHO DON'T RENDER NECESSARY HELP TO DESIGNATED PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, ON SAME WAY AS RECOMMEND DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST THE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER.

ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO (PIO) :-- The public information officer may seek the assistance of any other officer as he or she considers necessary for the proper discharge of his or her duties. The officer, whose assistance is so sought by the Public Information officer, would render all assistance to him. Such an officer shall be deemed to be a public Information officer and would be liable for contravention of any provisions of the Act the same way as any other public information officer. It would be advisable for the public information officer to inform the officer whose assistance is sought, about the above provision, at the time of seeking his assistance. (2) Some public information officers, on the basis of above referred provision of the Act, transfer the RTI applications received by them to other officers and direct them to send information to Applicants, as deemed public information officer. Thus, they use the above referred provision to designate other officers as public information officer. According to the Act, it is the responsibility of the officer, who is designated as the public information officer by the public authority to provide information to the applicant or reject the application for any reasons specified in section 8 and 9 of the Act. The Act enables the Public Information Officer to seek assistance of any other officer to enable him to provide information to the information seeker, but it doesn't give him authority to designate any other officer as Public Information officer and direct him to send reply to the applicant. The import of the provision is that, if the officer whose assistance is sought by the public information officer, does not render necessary help to him, the Information Commission may impose penalty on such officer or recommend disciplinary action against him the same way as the Commission may impose penalty on or recommend disciplinary action against the Public Information officer. (3) The answering Public Information officer should check whether the information sought or a part thereof is exempt from disclosure under section 8 or Section 9 of the Act. Request in respect of the part of the application which is so exempt may be rejected and rest of the information should be provided immediately or after receipt of additional fees, as the case may be. (4) Where a request for information is rejected, the public information officer should communicate to the person making the request-- (a) the reasons for such rejection;(b) the period within which an appeal against such rejection may be preferred;and (c) the particulars of the authority to whom an appeal can be made:---Er Fateh Chand Guleria, RTI welfare Association registered number HPCD 3552 Bilaspur Himachal pradesh, phone number 9459334377