Gujarat Information Commission "orders" education dept to proactively take RTI pleas, reveal exam papers

Screenshot of GSHSEB site doesn't have RTI link

By Our Representative
Gujarat’s right to information (RTI) watchdog, State Information Commission, a quasi-judicial authority, has asked the state education department to “proactively disclose” within seven days the names of public authority and appellate authority of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB).
The order follows the 10th and 12th examination results, following which many students sought copies of their answer sheets under RTI. However, to their utter dismay, a visit to the Board’s website showed that RTI link on the GSHSEB site had disappeared, and there were no details of Public Information Officer (PIO) or the Appellate Authority (AA), either.
Pankti Jog of the Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP), an RTI campaign NGO, says, several of the students’ parents approached her on the RTI helpline (9924085000) about this, and this prompted her file complaint under section 18 of RTI Act to State Information Commission to urgently take up the matter and issue order.
In his order, which she received on Friday, Gujarat Chief Information Commissioner VS Gadhvi has directed Board to disclose the names of PIO and AA on the notice board as well as on the website “within seven days” of receiving the order.
“The order is dated May 18, which means that they should have abided by it by now. However, I have checked on the website, they have still not done it”, Jog told Counterview.
At the same time, the commission, taking serious note of the fact that there is no RTI link on the GSSHEB website, has directed the principle secretary of the Gujarat education department, being the head of the public authority under RTI, to “ensure proactive disclosures are fully operationalized within seven days on the website as well as on notice board.”
“Each of the Public Authority is supposed to prepare proactive disclosures as per Section 4 of the RTI Act and the same should be widely disseminated to larger public. The Gujarat Board is dealing with the future of lakhs of students. It is completely unacceptable that the website does not show RTI link and PIO and AA details. This is complete violation of the RTI Act” says Harinesh Pandya, an RTI expert.
Jog adds, the Board is “surprisingly showing a very negative approach to the RTI Act. Many parents complained to us that when they approached by telephone to inquire about who is the PIO, they were asked not to file RTI, lest they would not get copies of the answer sheets. They also demanded Rs 300 per answer sheet for getting recalculation done for of the marks obtained”.
Notably, Gujarat was the first state in India to raise the issue of answer sheet of students to be sought under RTI way back in 2008. At that time, the State Information Commission even passed an order that student should be given copies of answer sheets under RTI.
Thereafter, on August 9, 2011, the Supreme Court gave a judgement qualifying answer sheet as “information” which students can obtain within 48 hours under section 7(1) of the RTI Act.
“The order of the Commission is very clear. We hope the PIO and AA details as well as proactive disclosure link on the website are displayed immediately”, said Jog.

Comments

Modi win may force Pak to put Kashmir on backburner, resume trade ties with India

By Salman Rafi Sheikh* When Narendra Modi returned to power for a second term in India with a landslide victory in 2019, his government acted swiftly. Just months after the election, the Modi government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution of India. In doing so, it stripped the special constitutional status conferred on Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, and downgraded its status from a state with its own elected assembly to a union territory administered by the central government in Delhi.

Tyre cartel's monopoly: Farmers' groups seek legal fight for better price for raw rubber

By Our Representative The All India Kisan Sabha and the Kerala Karshaka Sangham that represents the largest rubber producing state of Kerala along with rubber farmers have sought intervention against the monopoly tyre companies that have formed a cartel against the interests of consumers and farmers. Vijoo Krishnan, AIKS General Secretary, Valsan Panoli, Kerala Karshaka Sangham General Secretary, and four farmers representing different rubber growing regions of Kerala have filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Urban Naxal to Amit Shah, AAP Bharuch candidate tops ADR's Gujarat criminal cases list

By Rajiv Shah Refusing to go beyond the data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the Lok Sabha candidates’ own declarations of their criminal record, educational qualification and assets, the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), a top-notch advocacy group, has declared Aam Aadmi Party candidate Chaitar Vasava, 35, having the highest number of criminal cases of all those fighting the electoral battle on 26 seats in Gujarat.

As inequality afflicts voters, Ambanis seem 'happily honest' flexing economic power

By Sonali Kolhatkar* There are several exercises in extremes playing out in India right now. Nearly a billion people are voting in elections that will last into early June, braving record-high temperatures to cast ballots. Against this backdrop, Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani , is throwing what will likely be the world’s most expensive wedding for his youngest son.

Climate crisis: Modi-led BJP 'refraining from phasing out coal production, emissions'

By Our Representative Civil society groups have released a charter of demands for securing climate justice and moving towards a just transition, demanding review and reframing of India’s Climate Action Policy Framework. The charter says that while the daily summer temperature in the country has already begin to roar sky high, millions of people in India are heading to the booths to cast their vote in this scorching heat. The everyday impacts of extreme weather events, a result of the climate crisis, has become alarmingly threatening.

Congress manifesto: Delving deep into core concepts related to equity, social justice?

By Prof RR Prasad* The deafening current clamor on one of the agenda items of the 2024 Congress Party Election Manifesto has made common people to ponder whether ideologies like social justice and equity could become conundrum and contentious manifestations of some organization's vision and mission.

Magnetic, stunning, Protima Bedi 'exposed' malice of sexual repression in society

By Harsh Thakor* Protima Bedi was born to a baniya businessman and a Bengali mother as Protima Gupta in Delhi in 1949. Her father was a small-time trader, who was thrown out of his family for marrying a dark Bengali women. The theme of her early life was to rebel against traditional bondage. It was extraordinary how Protima underwent a metamorphosis from a conventional convent-educated girl into a freak. On October 12th was her 75th birthday; earlier this year, on August 18th it was her 25th death anniversary.

RSS 'never supported' reservation, Golwalkar didn't think casteism hindered Hindu unity

By Shamsul Islam* RSS which claims to be the biggest organization of Hindus in the world is, in fact, a unique organization which trains its cadres in manufacturing and spreading lies in the pure Goebbelsian tradition. It functions as a gurukul; a high Caste learning institution for Hindu high castes where students also graduate in practicing what George Orwell termed ‘doublespeak’ and thus RSS has rightly been described as an “organization that thrives on political doublespeak”. [Edit, ‘Sangh’s triple-speak’, "The Times of India", 26 August 2002]. It is through lies that poison is spread against lower castes, minorities and all those who stand for multi-culturalism.

River's existence 'under threat': Ken-Betwa inter-linking to degrade catchment areas

By Bhim Singh Rawat* Ken is lifeline of Bundelkhand and among key tributaries of Lower Yamuna basin. The river is relatively clean and free of industrial pollution. However, its existence is under threat due to catchment degradation and the proposed Ken-Betwa interlinking proposal. Apart from this, the river eco-system and dependent people have been at receiving end of large scale mechanized and unsustainable, mostly illegal mining practices for the past many years.

Search This Blog