Why should we hear you, CIC asks man who has filed 1,800 RTI cases

NEW DELHI: Why should we hear you? In an unprecedented move, the Central Information Commission has asked this question to an applicant who has filed 1,800 cases before the transparency watchdog against various civic bodies of Delhi.

Swamped by second appeals of the applicant, Rajendra Gupta, seeking similar information from North, South and East Delhi municipal corporations, information commissioner Yashovardhan Azad asked the applicant the basis on which his appeals should be heard.

Pointing out that hearing Gupta’s appeals would mean dedicating a month and a half to only his cases, Azad asked how the appeals are “maintainable” under law. Gupta has filed cases over the years seeking property details and unauthorised construction in different colonies.

In February, Azad had disposed of 634 appeals. However, Gupta filed 446 more appeals in seven months. According to the CIC database, 1,800 second appeals have been registered in the name of the applicant. About 1,234 appeals have been disposed of by the commission in three years.

The show cause notice says corporations have maintained that Gupta is misusing the Right to Information Act. “Earlier hearings have revealed that the applicant uses information accessed through RTI Act to extort money from residents threatening them with complaints if they don’t cough up money,” the notice says.