RTI application to PMO rejected as it was in Tamil

TIRUNELVELI: An application under the Right To Information (RTI) Act seeking information from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) about the demonetisation  process of the Central government has been turned down on the ground that the application was made in Tamil.

According to the RTI activist, A. Bramma, whose application to the PMO seeking information on the demonetisation process was deemed not valid as, in the very words of a communication from the Central assistant public information officer, “the application has not been made either in English or in Hindi, so it cannot be treated as valid as this office is located in Delhi. You are to address your application in either of the two languages,” is a self—confession of the PMO that it would not recognise any other language other than English and Hindi.

Moreover, the response from the PMO was made after delaying for about 30 days on December 10, 2016, for the application sent on November 9, 2016, is a clear violation of the RTI act as section 6 (1) of the act clearly states that a person desirous to obtain any information under the RTI act shall make a request in writing or through electronic means in English or Hindi or in the official language of the area in which the applicant belongs to, argued advocate Bramma.

The activist also made an appeal to the first appellate authority of the PMO to take action against the official concerned for deeming his application invalid on the reason that it was made in Tamil.

The same application made in Tamil under RTI act to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) by the same applicant, however, was responded in just ten days on November 21.

“Though the information provided by the RBI on my application in Tamil was not satisfactory it was not rejected on the basis of language,” added the Tirunelveli-based RTI activist.