Elected representatives’ visits to info commission’s office irk RTI activists

Bengaluru: Right to Information activists in the state are irked by elected representatives visiting the office of Karnataka Information Commission (KIC), a quasi-judicial body. They have shared pictures of Congress MLAs N Munirathna and ST Somashekar walking out of the KIC office near Vidhana Soudha and questioned the motive behind the visit. In the recent past, MLAs R Ramalinga Reddy, Katta Subramanya Naidu and member of Parliament DK Suresh, too, have visited the commission, they pointed out.

The Karnataka RTI Activists’ State Committee has alleged impropriety on the part of elected representatives. “It seems like the elected representatives are trying to get favourable orders in cases filed against public information officers (PIOs). They could have a vested interest in protecting PIOs,” convenor BH Veeresh said.

There is no law preventing elected representatives from visiting the information commission’s office. The questions are regarding the reasons for the meetings and they are seeking answers from the KIC, a public office. “The law states that the commission should function autonomously without being subject to the directions of any authority. Hence, it is important for the KIC to explain to the public why elected representatives are making frequent visits to the office,” said Venkatesh Nayak, RTI activist of the New Delhi-based Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative.


Pointing out that MLAs and MPs cannot visit KIC for personal-level talks with information commissioners, he said, “If their visit was for official purposes, then the elected representatives as well as the KIC should make the minutes public.”

They are blaming a certain lack of discipline and absence of standard operating procedure in the KIC. “Besides issuing a clarification on the visits made by elected representatives, the information commission should also ensure that all information commissioners adopt a standard procedure in handling cases, office timings, etc,” Veeresh said.

The activists even petitioned the state’s chief information commissioner NC Srinivas, who took charge recently, on Tuesday. “He has assured us that such practices will be stopped,” Veeresh said.

The CIC was not available for comment.