REITERATION OF GUIDELINES AFTER REGULAR INTERVALS AND UNDER SECTION 26 OF THE RTI ACT, 2005 AND VARIOUS PROVISIONS FOR GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISM, PUBLISHED FOR RIGHT EARNEST

The public information officers/First Appellate Authorities should keep in mind the salient features of the guidelines in supply of information to the information seeker and disposal of first Appeal respectively, so that information seekers may not resort to filing of second Appeals before the information Commissions. The relevant salient features of the guidelines are reiterated below for consideration of the public information officers and the First Appellate authorities. As such section 26 of the RTI Act, requires the government to compile a guide containing such information, in an easily comprehensible form and manner, as may reasonably be required by a person who wishes to exercise any right specified in the Act, Further, it requires the Government to update the Guide at regular intervals. Accordingly a guide on the Act was published online mode on 28-11-2013(Chapter 111) to help all the stakeholders viz. Information seekers in getting information, public information officers in dealing with the RTI applications, First Appellate authorities in taking cogent decisions on Appeals and the public authorities in implementing various provisions of the Act in right earnest. It is particularly mentioned here that despite of the orders of the FAA, concerned public information officers are taking no cognisance of the information referred and preferred by the Applicants in this behalf of the provision made and the Applicants are suffering because of such, delay and dereliction of duty, even clear vision under section 19(6) of the RTI Act, 2005 , where deciding Appeals under the RTI Act is a quasi judical function, It is therefore necessary, that the Appellate authority should see to it that the justice is not only done, but it should also appear to have been done. In order to do so, the order passed by the Appellate authority should be a speaking order giving justification for the decision arrived at :-- Er Fateh chand Guleria, Director RTI welfare Association registered number HPCD, 3552 , Bilaspur Himachal pradesh phone number, 9459334377