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In a decisive ruling highlighting institutional accountability, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has imposed a cumulative penalty of Rs 20,000 on two railway officials for failing to properly process a Right to Information (RTI) application and neglecting their statutory obligations. The apex transparency watchdog emphasized that public authorities cannot dismiss citizen inquiries through mechanical rejections or unjustified denials, especially when requests pertain to legitimate administrative transparency. Alongside the monetary penalties, the Commission ordered that an official warning issued to the former First Appellate Authority regarding his improper handling of the grievance be formally recorded in his official service dossier.

Scrutiny Over Arbitrary Rejections and Disciplinary Records

The regulatory friction arose when railway authorities summarily rejected an RTI petition by arguing that the requested documents fell outside the legal scope of Section 2(f) of the RTI Act, 2005. The applicant had sought access to comprehensive files concerning their own departmental chargesheet—including internal correspondence, administrative notes, observation logs, and updates regarding a pending revision petition filed for expedited resolution. Rebuking the department’s restrictive stance, the CIC ruled that records directly concerning an employee’s personal disciplinary proceedings fall squarely within information under the control of public authorities. Consequently, the Commission levied a fine of Rs 15,000 on the current Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of Southern Railway and an additional penalty of Rs 5,000 on the former CPIO to deter future procedural negligence.