CIC pulls revenue official for delaying to furnish info

Jammu: Central Information Commission (CIC) has taken serious note of the conduct of tehsildar Bhalwal Amit Upadhyay for the delay in providing information regarding details of the state Land allegedly under the illegal occupation of Former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta.
A Bench of the Central Information Commission, New Delhi headed by the Chief Information Commissioner YK Sinha while disposing of a second appeal filed by lawyer Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed has taken a serious view against the conduct of the then Tehsildar Bhalwal Amit Upadhyay for the delay in providing information to the Appellant who had sought the details of the State Land in Khasra No. 1789 of Ghaink, Bhalwal allegedly under the illegal occupation of Former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta.
The Chief Information Commissioner while taking serious note of the matter observed that no explanation has been submitted by the then Tehsildar Amit Upadhyay for delay in supplying the information to the appellant and CIC directed that the then Tehsildar should submit a suitable explanation justifying the delay in complying with the order passed by the First Appellate Authority (SDM, Jammu North) dated June 26,2021 and why no penal action should be initiated for violation of the mandated timeline as provided under Right to Information Act, 2005. The CIC further directed that the explanation must reach the Commission by February 20 failing which appropriate action shall be initiated suo moto in terms of the law.
After hearing Advocate Muzzaffar Ali Shah appearing for Appellant Sheikh Shakeel submitted that the delay was intentional/deliberate as the information was directed against the Former Deputy Chief Minister of the erstwhile State of J&K who had allegedly grabbed a large chunk of State Land at village Ghaink, Tehsil Bhalwal of District Jammu.
With these observations and directions, the CIC disposed off the Second Appeal filed by Advocate S. S. Ahmed.