Failure to provide information: Keralam Survey Director ordered to pay ₹1 lakh compensation
An 82-year-old Kerala man is set to receive ₹1 lakh in compensation after the State Information Commission found that a Public Information Officer gave a false and misleading reply to his RTI application seeking access to his property records
The Keralam State Information Commission has ordered the former Survey Superintendent of Kollam Collectorate, P. Vishwambharan, to pay ₹1 lakh in compensation to an applicant who had sought information through an RTI application. This comes after the Public Information Officer, Mr. Vishwambharan, provided a false and misleading reply, denying the applicant's right to personally inspect the relevant file at the Kollam Survey Superintendent’s office about the extent of their property.
The case originated from a 2013 RTI application filed by Kurien George, who was unable to obtain the information even after appealing to the Information Commission and the Kerala High Court. The Commission found Mr. Vishwambharan guilty of a serious violation of the law and imposed the fine. The Survey Director, Dr. J.O. Arun, admitted the lapses and promised to avoid similar issues in the future, but the Commission ruled that a mere apology was insufficient to compensate for the physical, mental, and financial hardships endured by the 82-year-old petitioner over the years.
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