New Delhi: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has charged the Union Home Ministry to respond to an RTI applicant who demands to know the number of people killed between 2010 and 2017 on suspicion of cow slaughter in India.
Sameer Khan filed the RTI application with the ministry seeking to know state-wise statistics of the number of people killed and injured in incidents related to cow slaughter, their names and compensation paid by the government to the families of the victims.
The ministry did not respond to the application following which Khan approached the Commission, the highest appellate authority in the matter of RTI, seeking directions to the ministry to furnish the information.
The facts provided by the applicant validate that no response has been furnished to him, Chief Information Commissioner Sudhir Bhargava noted. He said that under the RTI Act it is mandatory to respond to RTI applications within given time period.
Bhargava said that neither the applicant nor the respondent (MHA) appeared for hearing in spite of notice from the Commission.
The Commission directed the central public information officer and the Home Ministry, to furnish a response, in accordance with the provisions of the RTI Act, to the applicant within four weeks. In case any information has been provided to the applicant, a copy of that response should be provided to the Commission along with a copy to the applicant, Bhargava said.
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