Pending pleas: CIC to meet Delhi CJ

MIFFED AT DELAYS
Pending pleas: CIC to meet Delhi CJ
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: With several key decisions of the CIC stayed by courts, chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah is likely to meet Delhi high court chief justice to press for early hearings.

The decision was taken recently in an internal meeting of commissioners at the Central Information Commission where the issue of writ petitions being pending in the Delhi HC were discussed.

"The commission suggested that Habibullah may like to pay a visit to chief justice of Delhi High Court and present before him the concern,” minutes of the meeting said.

The meeting was called after the CIC found that public authorities appeal in the HC and get stay to certain orders passed by the commission. The CIC said the HC stay delayed the information seeking process. Amongst those issues that are under the HC’s consideration include disclosure under RTI of judges’ assets, whether Delhi government is bound to give details of the number of students admitted under the under-privileged category in private schools, disclosure related to UPSC aspirants and a RTI plea asking for details related to the oil-forfood scam. These are just a few amongst the many cases that have reached the court after CIC had ordered disclosure.

The commissioners expressed concern that the pending cases were hampering citizens’ right to get information from government and other public authorities.
As reported in Publication: Times Of India Delhi; Date: Mar 23, 2009; Section: Times Nation; Page: 10