Fix time frame for response of dept inquiries: CIC to CVC

Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah has advised the Chief Vigilance Commissioner to fix time limits for getting responses from departments whose officials are being investigated by it.

Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah has advised the Chief Vigilance Commissioner to fix time limits for getting responses from departments whose officials are being investigated by it.

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"CVC may consider fixing time limits for responses by various departments to whom complaints are referred for investigation and report," Habibullah said in his order.

Habibullah offered the "advice" to Pratyush Sinha, Chief Vigilance Commissioner under section 25 (5) of the RTI Act "so as to bring the exercise of the functions of the CVC into greater conformity with the spirit of the RTI Act".

According to the section cited by the CIC, "If it appears to the CIC or State Information Commission, as the case may be, that the practice of a public authority in relation to the exercise of its functions under this Act does not conform with the provisions or spirit of this Act, it may give to the authority a recommendation specifying the steps which ought in its opinion to be taken for promoting such conformity."

The CIC was hearing the plea of Anjani Bhushan who had sought to know from CVC the details of inquiries conducted against an employee of the United India Insurance, but could not get them as the probe was still going on at the time of filing the application.