The Jammu and Kashmir State Information Commission (SIC) has initiated penalty proceedings against public information officers in more than 25 cases for delaying in responding to appeals and complaints, an official spokesman said.
The proceedings have been initiated under Section 17 of the Jammu and Kashmir RTI Act, 2009, the spokesman said.
He said the SIC can impose a penalty on the PIOs at the rate of Rs 250 per day of delay beyond 30 days after the RTI application was filed, subject to a maximum of Rs 25,000.
The SIC is also empowered to recommend disciplinary actions against the PIOs.
Since March this year, the SIC has held more than 600 hearings in Srinagar and Jammu, and through video links with appellants, complainants, PIOs and first appellate authorities from Kargil, Poonch, Udhampur, Doda and Kishtwar, the spokesman said.
The SIC has cleared more than 225 appeals and complaints between March and November this year, he added.
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