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We have rarely heard of any recoveries of penalties slammed on public information officers (PIOs), but this one surely takes the cake!
Neeraj Kumar Gupta, the central information commissioner, in an order dated 19 February 2021, states, “If the Central Information Commission (CIC) starts imposing penalty on the PIOs in every other case, without any justification, it would instil a sense of constant apprehension in those functioning as PIOs in the public authorities, and would put undue pressure on them.
They would not be able to fulfil their statutory duties under the Right to Information (RTI) Act with an independent mind and with objectivity.”