General Administration Department bid to mislead court on information panel

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After informing the High Court at least twice that steps are on to fill the vacancies in the State Information Commission, the General Administration Department has dramatically changed track and stated that it was completely in the dark about the appointments to the Commission.

“The process of selecting information commissioners (ICs)  is done in the Chief Minister's Office, the details of which are not known to this public authority,” the GAD stated in a reply to an RTI query. The correspondence of GAD during the last few months also reveals a conscious attempt to mislead the court.

Though there are five vacancies, the General Administration Department has notified only two. In an affidavit filed before the High Court in August, the GAD had stated that a committee had been formed in March to fill the vacancies.

However, an RTI reply furnished by the very same Department, states that it had no information whatsoever about such a committee to select ICs.

Intriguingly, the State also seems to have misled the court on the steps to decide the future of suspended IC K Natarajan. On August 31, the GAD, in its counter affidavit, had informed the Court that procedures are on to decide on the fate of Natarajan. However, an RTI reply received by Mr M T Thomas, a member of National Commission for People’s Rights to Information, revealed that “no particular officer in the office of the Governor is entrusted with the follow-up proceedings”.

As of now, with the retirement of IC N Sasikumar, the Commission is left with just the Chief Information Commissioner, Mr Sibi Mathews. Dr Kurias Kumbalakuzhy and M N Gunavardhanan had retired in March and April this year.

Another IC, Soni B Thengamam, demitted office on August 10 this year. K Natarajan was suspended from the post on November 9, 2012.