Haryana has become the first state in the country to formulate and implement a mechanism for recovering penalties imposed on State Public Information Officers (SPIOs) directly from their salaries or pensions for failing to provide information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The move follows directions issued by Haryana Lokayukta Justice Haripal Verma after prolonged hearings over six years on a complaint filed by Samalkha-based RTI activist PP Kapoor.
Kapoor had approached the Lokayukta on July 21, 2020, alleging that a large number of SPIOs neither provided information sought under the RTI Act nor deposited penalties imposed on them by the State Information Commission. In his complaint, Kapoor sought recovery of Rs 2.72 crore in penalties from 1,726 defaulting SPIOs across the state.
According to Kapoor, the Haryana government informed the Lokayukta that penalties amounting to Rs 2.94 crore are pending against officials of 16 departments. Of this, Rs 1.34 crore is pending against SPIOs of the Panchayat and Development Department, Rs 80.96 lakh against officials of the Urban Local Bodies Department, Rs 22.72 lakh against Education Department officials and Rs 14.76 lakh against Revenue Department officials.
Kapoor said the Lokayukta passed several orders in the matter during the past six years and multiple meetings were held at the level of the Haryana Chief Secretary. The Lokayukta has also sought an action taken report within three months.
Under the new mechanism, details of defaulting SPIOs will be uploaded on official websites, while the State Information Commission will share details of defaulters with heads of departments every quarter. The pending penalty amount will be recovered periodically from the salaries or pensions of the defaulting officials.
The Haryana government has directed all administrative secretaries and heads of departments to ensure recovery of outstanding penalties and submit monthly reports to the State Information Commission regarding the action taken.
Kapoor termed the move a landmark step, stating that apart from helping the government recover pending penalty amounts, the mechanism would also ensure accountability among SPIOs who fail to comply with RTI provisions.