Transparency Watchdogs of India too transparent to make their asset details public : Central Information Commission makes lame excuses to deter exposure of asset details of its Commissioners under RTI While Uttar Pradesh info-commissioners fail to file asset details as mandated by Lokpal & Lokayukta act , exposes RTI.

Transparency Watchdogs of India too transparent to make their asset details public : Central Information Commission makes lame excuses to deter exposure of asset details of its Commissioners under RTI While Uttar Pradesh info-commissioners fail to file asset details as mandated by Lokpal & Lokayukta act , exposes RTI.

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Lucknow based Social activist and Engineer Sanjay Sharma filed a RTI with the CPIO of Central Information Commission ( CIC ) to get certified copies of asset details filed by Info-commissioners as mandated by Lokpal & Lokayukta act in 5 performa. Reply sent by Sushil Kumar, Deputy Secretary ( admn. ) & CPIO of CIC asserts that The action is under process. Sanjay says that this makes it clear that till now, either info-commissioners at CIC have not submitted asset returns on these 5 performa or CPIO of Central Information Commission is making lame excuses to deter exposure of asset details of its Commissioners under RTI.

Sanjay said that In July, the Department of Personnel & Training under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, had issued a notification under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act that mandated every public servant to file a declaration, information and annual returns of assets and liabilities of his family including himself as of 31 March 2014 and that too on or before 15 September 2014. INFO-COMMISSIONERS too, are public servants and are very much required to comply this notification in letter & spirit, said Sanjay.

Sanjay said that its shocking that even the transparency watchdog of India is reluctant to make annual property returns, a mandatory obligation under the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, public. If info-commissioners themselves do not follow the government's directives, how can they direct others to do so?" asked Sanjay , the Lucknow-based Social activist & founder of 'TAHRIR' who filed the query.

"Corruption maybe another aspect of this issue. The fact that Info-commissioners are reluctant to share information about their property hints at possible corruption. Our newly elected Prime Minister's USP is good governance. If Info-commissioners conceal information about their property, how can Narendra Modi's vision of providing good and efficient governance be realised?" Sanjay asked. In this matter, Sanjay has sent First appeal to A. K. Dash, First appellate authority of CIC.

On a separate RTI plea of Sanjay Sharma, PIO of Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission ( UPSIC ) has flatly written that no information related to asset details of its Commissioners i.e. the certified copies of asset details filed by Info-commissioners as mandated by Lokpal & Lokayukta act in 5 performa was available with him which meant all of the info-commissioners have failed to file asset details as mandated by Lokpal & Lokayukta act.

Sanjay says that he filed this RTI with UPSIC on a tip-off of purchasing a large chunk of land and investments in real estate by an info-commissioner of UPSIC in the name of members of his family out of money made by corrupt practices at UPSIC and adds that this RTI reply by PIO of UPSIC has further cemented his doubts on honest and integral discharge of functions by existing info-commissioners of UPSIC. Sanjay shall soon meet Governor of U.P. to intervene in this matter and do the needful to make info-commissioners accountable to the public.