Taking serious note of the incident where an RTI applicant, Sanjay Bhalika, was asked to pay Rs 1.3 lakh as photocopying charges for an RTI reply by an Adharwadi Jail official, the state inspector-general of police (prisons) has directed officials to inquire into the matter.
A source said two senior officers from the jail administration would look into Bhalika’s allegation. The inquiry was ordered following media reports on the incident.
Speaking to TOI, Surendra Kumar, inspector-general of prisons, Maharashtra, said, "We have ordered an inquiry into the matter as to why the information officer asked for such a huge charge. Depending on the findings, action will be taken."
Many activists have condemned officials for deliberately charging higher amounts so that activists will be deterred from using the RTI Act as a tool to expose irregularities. A city-based activist said, "Bhalika’s incident shows how officials try to keep people away from using RTI and the tactics they use." An RTI activist from Kalyan, Sidharth Kamble, claimed that though the rules state that information officers should be Class I or Class II officers who are well informed about the RTI Act, it is found that many government offices appoint officers who are unaware about the Act. Kamble added that in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, a clerk who did not have proper knowledge about the Act was promoted to the post of information officer.
Bhalika, who wanted to expose the irregularities in the jail, is happy that senior officials have been ordered to inquire into the incident. "I welcome the inquiry ordered by senior officials. My only request is that in addition, they should look into my claims so that jail conditions can be improved," said Bhalika.