M K Gupta,
RTI Consultant
Central Information Commission has started to hear the First Appeal over phone also if the appellant is unable to attend the hearing personally. In a letter of hearing of first appeal, Ms. Anita Gupta, Additional Secretary and First Appellate Authority has intimated to M. K. Gupta, First Appellant, that he can be heard over phone by intimating his phone number in advance to the FAA if he is unable to attend the hearing personally. Though the aforesaid appellant is from Delhi but the CIC receives first and second appeals from across India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. FAA has further added that if the appellant does not appear or present the case either over phone, appeal will be decided on the basis of material on record. If the experiment succeeds, the same can be adopted by other Public Authorities for hearing the first appeals and by the CIC and SICs for second appeals and complaints.
The first appeal is for knowing about the cut-off date for which notices for hearings have been issued by the Central Information Commission. In the past, it has been noted that some cases were listed/ heard only after the RTI application were filed to know the status to these cases.
CIC should include information on cut-off dates in pro-active disclosure u.s. 4(1) of the RTI Act which will help the appellants to know the status of their cases.Labels: CIC, government, RTI, Useful Informations