E-Paper
CIC slaps penalty on BHU registrar
TAKING SERIOUS note of what it observed ?blatant disobedience of its directions?, the Central Information Commission slapped a fine of Rs. 25,000 over the registrar of Banaras Hindu University and asked BHU vice-chancellor Prof Panjab Singh to explain within 15 days the reasons for not making public the inquiry report of Yogesh Rai?s mysterious death.
TAKING SERIOUS note of what it observed ‘blatant disobedience of its directions’, the Central Information Commission slapped a fine of Rs. 25,000 over the registrar of Banaras Hindu University and asked BHU vice-chancellor Prof Panjab Singh to explain within 15 days the reasons for not making public the inquiry report of Yogesh Rai’s mysterious death.
The CIC in its October 19 decision imposed a penalty of Rs. 25,000 on registrar N Sundaram for denial of information to Dhananjay Tripathi over mysterious death of a student of BHU Yogesh Rai at Sir Sunderlal Hospital on January 11, 2005, despite the commission’s clear directions.
“The commission further authorises and directs the vice-chancellor of BHU, in case the registrar fails to comply with orders, to recover the penalty amount from the salary of the registrar and remit the amount in favour of pay and accounts Officer of CIC”, the commission observed.
“Now the vice-chancellor of BHU and the registrar are hereby directed again to release the fact finding committee’s report to the appellant Dhananjay Tripathi within one week (if not already done so) and to explain the reasons for not making the inquiry report public and thus disobeying orders of the commission, within 15 days of the issue of this notice”, it added.
To recall, a Bachelor of Physical Education student, Yogesh Rai, had died under mysterious circumstances at SS Hospital on January 11, 2005. The students had turned violent due to which the then VC, Prof. P Ramchandra Rao had constituted a committee under Prof Harikesh Singh to ascertain the actual cause of the student’s death.
Rai colleague Dhananjay Tripathi had filed an application under Right to Information Act with CIC to get the report of Prof Harikesh Singh in October 2005.
BHU V-C , registrar and PRO were summoned by the CIC for not giving the report to the appellant.
