Appeal to Information Seekers not to produce any proof of citizenship or identity at the time of submitting RTI Application
Circular issued by Sri Pradeep Jena, Secretary-cum-Commissioner, I and PR Dept., Govt. of Odisha to all Govt. offices not to ask to Information-seekers for proof of identity following direction of Calcutta High Court.
Dear friends
On dated 21.1. 14, the I and PR Department, Govt. of Odisha has issued a circular RTI-05/2014/IPR 773 under the subject head “ Protection of whistleblowers of RTI- Order dated 20.11.2013 of the Ho’ble High Court, Kolkata in writ petition No. 33290 of 2013” to all departments, State Information Commission, All Collectors, RDCs informing about the order of the said High Court i.e.,
It means the RTI Applicants are not required to give any other personal details except contact address. So the provision of production of proof of identity of citizenship under Odisha RTI Rules, 2005 stands null and void.
So I appeal all Information seekers not to produce their voter ID card or any other documents as proof of identity at the time of submitting RTI Applications to the offices under Govt. of Odisha. It needs to be mentioned that the Central RTI Rules of Govt. of India is highly progressive which does not require any proof of identity to be produced by Information-seekers.
Friends, we have a long way to go for reforming administration of Odisha and its bureaucracy.
Thanking you
Yours sincerely
Pradip Pradhan
Date-27.1.14