PU deputy registrar fined Rs25,000 for not providing info under RTI Act

LAHORE: The Punjab Information Commission (PIC) has imposed Rs25,000 fine on Punjab University (PU) Deputy Registrar and Public Information Officer (PIO) Ahmad Islam for not providing information to an applicant, under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Chief Information Commissioner Mahboob Qadir Shah directed the Punjab University vice chancellor and registrar to deduct the fine amount from the salary of the deputy registrar and inform the Commission about compliance of the orders.

While announcing verdict in Dr Naveed Ahmad versus Punjab University Lahore case, the chief information commissioner said the PU deputy registrar did not appear in the court despite summoning by the PIC to attend case proceedings under the RTI Act.

According to the case details, Dr Naveed Ahmad, who’s a faculty member at the PU Law College, had sought complete information about the allotment of houses to the university employees at the PU staff colony. He had sought details of those who were living in university staff colony but working somewhere else, or those who had retired from service but still occupying university house, and the foreigners allotted houses at the staff colony.

The chief information commissioner said in the verdict that the deputy registrar exhibited non-serious and non-professional attitude on the application submitted under the RTI Act.

He ordered that a copy of the verdict should be sent to the PU vice chancellor and the registrar so that they ensure implementation of the PIC orders and provision of required information under the RTI Act.