T’puram: The state information commission, in its order issued on Aug 3, criticised the public service commission (PSC) for failing to comply with its earlier order directing the latter to release the information sought by an exam candidate under Right to Information (RTI) Act. The commission said though it had issued a directive on July 6, PSC’s state public information officer (SPIO) failed to give the information sought by the applicant and submit a report within a week.On Jan 5, Shyam Krishnan filed an RTI application seeking details of his answer sheet marks and interview score. Later, he filed a complaint before the information commission on July 17 when PSC refused his request. The applicant alleged that PSC did not give him the information despite the information commission’s earlier order.In its communication dated Aug 3, the commission termed PSC SPIO’s failure to implement its order as a matter of concern. It warned that action under Section 20 of RTI Act, 2005, could be initiated against the official responsible for disobeying the commission’s directive.While observing that the lapse on the part of the official was serious, the commission decided to give the official an opportunity to make amends. It told PSC to give all the information sought by the candidate, including copies of the answer sheets and interview marks, by Aug 10 and submit a compliance report to the information commission. The commission made it clear that the information should be furnished directly to the candidate who appeared for the exam.The commission also sought an explanation for the delay in informing it about the action taken on its earlier order. The commission made it clear that failure to comply with its latest directive would invite action under Section 20 of RTI Act.
