Senior town planning officer in Haryana fined ₹25k for delaying RTI reply

Gurgaon: In an order reinforcing accountability under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Haryana State Information Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on a senior town planning officer for failing to provide information within the stipulated time and for ignoring multiple notices.The penalty has been imposed on RS Batth, the then state public information officer (SPIO)-cum-district town planner (enforcement), Gurgaon, who is now posted with GMDA. The order was passed by state information commissioner Kulbir Chhikara on March 12, 2026, following prolonged non-compliance in a complaint filed by Delhi-based applicant Nitin Garg.On April 8, the commission sent the order to the director general of town and country planning, the drawing and disbursing officer of GMDA, and other officials, including Batth, directing immediate compliance. Referring to its earlier notice dated Feb 26, 2026, the commission instructed all respondents to act on the order without delay and submit a compliance report.According to the commission’s findings, the RTI application was filed on May 6, 2022, seeking specific information from the town and country planning department. Despite a clear directive from the first appellate authority on Dec 14, 2022, the information was not furnished within the prescribed timeframe. The commission noted that the officer neither complied with the order nor offered any reasonable explanation for the delay.The matter involved multiple hearings and notices over nearly two years. As recorded in the order, Batth failed to appear before the commission and did not respond to repeated show-cause notices issued on June 20, 2025, Nov 3, 2025, Jan 28, 2026, and Feb 26, 2026. The commission observed a “lack of diligence” and described the conduct as a clear violation of the RTI Act, 2005.Invoking Section 20(1) of the RTI Act, the commission held that this was a fit case for penalty, observing that public officials are legally bound to provide information in a timely manner. The order also referred to a Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment in 2014, Chander Kanta vs state information commission and others, which mandates penalties in cases of unjustified delay or denial of information.Under the order, the Rs 25,000 penalty will be recovered from the officer’s salary in two instalments or within 60 days. The amount is to be deposited under the designated govt head for RTI penalties. The commission has also directed the director general of town and country planning and the drawing and disbursing officer of GMDA to ensure compliance and submit a report.The registrar of state information commission has been tasked with monitoring the recovery process to ensure timely execution of the order.A senior commission official underscored the urgency, stating that the directions must be followed with “immediate compliance by the respondent, with intimation to the commission,” thereby emphasising the binding nature of the ruling.Batth said, “I have to check matter and surely will apprise the facts to hon’ble commission and all compliances will be made.”