Whistleblower from the city Ajay Dubey has claimed that his efforts have brought big victory for the Right To Information (RTI) activists as the lokayukta organisation has agreed to make public the final report and or closure reports of the action over RTI applications on the organisational website.
Dubey while talking to The Pioneer said, “The appellant officer of the Madhya Pradesh lokayukta Office Arun Kochar while hearing our appeal for making the closure reports and or final reports over RTI applications received by the Ombudsman be made public by making them online on the lokayukta website like it is done in Sweden considered as the generator of the Ombudsman and other developed countries ordered on December 1, this year that the information of the closure reports be made public by putting them on the website of the organisation.”
Dubey further said that earlier when he had made similar request, the lokayukta organisation rejected the plea stating that the information could not be provided. Dissatisfied with the decision, he made an appeal with the Appellant authority that after hearing our side issued order in our favor, he added.
He said that the appellant officer in his order dated December 1 said that in case of closure reports information should be posted on the lokayukta website under Right To Information from DSP Administration under section 4.
Meanwhile, Dubey also informed that the lokayukta has asked him to pay Rs 6980 for getting the desired information in a case as it is in 3,480 pages and as per rule 2005 the information could be provided against payment of Rs 2 per page.
Dubey said that as per the rules the lokayukta could have asked payment for the information if it has provided requisite information within 30 days of seeking it, but in the case in that payment has been asked the limit of 30 days has been crossed hence we have told the lokayukta to provide information without payment as per rule.