Manipur Information Commission slaps Rs. 9,500 penalty on Dhanamanjuri University SPIO for RTI delay

IT News
Imphal, May 7:
The Manipur Information Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs. 9,500 on the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) of Dhanamanjuri University, Imphal, for delaying the complete disclosure of information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by appellant Sorotkhaibam Huhedaho Singh.
The Commission, while hearing Appeal Case No. 86 of 2024, found that despite multiple hearings and directives, the SPIO failed to furnish crucial documents — Annexure I & II of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) proceedings — related to the appointment of an Office Assistant, as requested by the appellant in his RTI application dated August 6, 2024.
Represented by advocate W. Joykumar, the appellant argued that the information was delivered in piecemeal and not in full. He urged the Commission to impose the maximum penalty under the RTI Act. Meanwhile, the SPIO, represented by advocate Denning Irom, claimed that certain documents were seized by the Vigilance Department due to an ongoing investigation and that the missing annexures could not be located until March 24, 2025.
Despite the SPIO eventually providing part of the DPC proceedings without the annexures, the Commission noted continued non-compliance and failure to submit a written explanation as directed. It found a 38-day delay in supplying the complete information and accordingly imposed a fine of Rs. 250 per day, totaling Rs. 9,500.
The penalty is to be deducted from the SPIO’s salary by the Drawing and Disbursing Officer of the university and deposited under the designated government account. The SPIO has also been instructed to submit proof of payment and furnish the remaining documents to the appellant before the next hearing.
The matter is scheduled for further hearing on May 19, 2025, at 12:15 PM.