[Attachment(s) from RTIFED - Surendera M. Bhanot included below]

(THE COMPLETE TEXT OF THIS COMMUNICATION AND ENCLOSURE THERETO IS ATTACHED IN A COMBINED 15-PAGES pdf FILE WITH THIS MAIL FOR DOWNLOADING AND PRINTING FOR FURTHER PROCESSING IT)

RTIFED/ Proscribed Procedures/2014/1207

Orders in Regional and/or vernacular Language

23 December 2014

THROUGH E-MAIL

Chief Information Commissioners of

Maharashtra State Information Commission

13th Floor, New Administrative Building,

Mantralaya,

Mumbai

400032.

Secretary,

Government of India

Department of Personnel & Training

New Delhi;

All Centre and State Chief Information commissions

Chief Secretaries of all States

PROSCRIBED[1] PROCEDURES

Pronouncement of Quasi-Judicial Orders
in Regional and/or vernacular Languages

Hon'ble Sirs,

This is with reference to the communication which a RTI Activist – Ms. Ankita Kamlesh Shah of Nagpur has addressed to the Maharashtra State Information Commission yesterday (copy attached as Annexure-1), copy of which was endorsed to RTIFED.

The Right to Information Act 2005 is a central Act and have jurisdiction all over India (except the State of Jammu and Kashmir (which has its own similar Act) Right to Information Act 2005 was enacted to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities, in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority, the constitution of a Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

AND WHEREAS democracy requires an informed citizenry and transparency of information which are vital to its functioning and also to contain corruption and to hold Governments and their instrumentalities accountable to the governed;

(THE COMPLETE TEXT OF THIS COMMUNICATION AND ENCLOSURE THERETO IS ATTACHED IN A COMBINED 38-PAGES pdf FILE WITH THIS MAIL FOR DOWNLOADING AND PRINTING FOR FURTHER PROCESSING IT)

RTIFED is of the view that such cases where freedom of expression, human rights defenders and humanitarian law are under stress in India. This, the Decision pronounced and published in regional and/or vernacular languages, is the case where the Information seekers and citizens are tormented and hence, overawe the RTI activists and human rights defenders. That, the Central and State Information Commissioner have arbitrarily stopping the free flow of Information to the citizen and when the flow of information is suppressed, the people's Right to know, seek, obtain, receive, hold and use information is grossly violated.

A phenomenal responsibility has caste upon the Information Commissions to restore the rule of law in the commissions and restore back to the practice of pronouncing and publishing orders in English language.

DoPT GoI, being a nodal agency to implement Right to Information Act 2005, has to play a prodigious role in streamlining the process in the commissions.

The decision or action taken on this communication may invariably be communicated to RTIFED in due course.

The receipt of this communication may please be acknowledged.

This communication is sent through electronic media and as such does not warrant any signature.

If no acknowledgement/reply is received, I intend to file RTI Application after a month to know the:

(i) Status of action taken on this communication and its latest status.

(ii) Status of the restoring to the pronouncing and publishing orders/decisions in English and not anole in regional and/or vernacular languages, by the various Information commissions, where this process has been discontinued unlawfully.

While rejoining, the number and date of this communication may please invariably be mentioned.

Thanking you & with Warm Regards,

Very cordially yours,

Surendera M. Bhanot

President RTIFED[1]

rtifed@gmail.com

Enclosure: as stated please.

This Mail in original is also sent through e-mail to:

- Chief Justice, Supreme Court Of India, New Delhi

- Chief Justice, Punjab & Haryana High Court at Chandigarh and all other High Courts.

- A copy is also sent to all RTI Activists and RTI NGOs as well as Human Right NGOs and the RTIFED Members – for information, records and for making similar plea to concerned authorities in their state/area of operation.

Surendera M. Bhanot

President RTIFED

[1]RTIFED (formerly known as RTI Activists' Federation and conceived and founded by the legendary Advocate H.C. Arora) is a body looking after the rights of the RTI Applicants and keeping an eye over the happenings of the RTI related matters in various states.