RTI to be issued as certified copies
Kerala HC recently asked the authorities to provide certified copies if needed
By : rohit raj
Update: 2015-11-06 06:19 GMT
Kochi: There has been no strict format for public authorities to provide information under RTI Act and this has been a long pending dem-and of activists that RTI documents should be given as certified copies of the originals. The Centre has now issued a notification asking the public information officers to issue documents as certified copies.
The government has pa-ssed an order asking all pu-blic authorities to issue ce-rtified copies of the documents or records if the ap-plicant needs it. This order will give new dimensions to RTI Act as the attested copies can be made use of for other purposes.
“If the documents that are to be certified and supplied is large in number, the information on the RTI application should be supplied by a designated PIO but the certification of the documents, if need be, co-uld be done by any other junior gazetted officer” the order said.
Ministry of personnel, PG & pension department of personnel & training is-sued the order asking CPIOs to endorse on the document “true copy of the document/record supplied under RTI Act”. Dy secretary G.S. Arora issu-ed the order on October 6.
Kerala HC recently asked the authorities to provide certified copies if needed. “There is no specific format for giving RTI replies, officials do so as per discretion. The new order has given clarity with regard to the issuance of reply to RTI queries” said Mahesh Vijayan, an RTI activist.
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