Dismal performance of SIC, Kerala

The SIC, Kerala has 5 Information Commissioners including its Chief. All are well settled in a centrally air-conditioned building adjascent to the
government secretariat, with an army of staff and all facilities that can make a good multinational company to envy. This much infrastructure is
more than enough for a small state with just 14 Districts. Following fully expose their performance profile.

1. Received only 4240 complaints and second appeals together since t their inception till 6-9-2008. Out of this they claim to have finally closed only
2907 cases viz., average of 82 cases per month, leaving 1333 cases pending. The SIC is reluctant to furnish the period-wise break-down on the
above 1333 cases though the battle to obtain it is on.

2.Following are their total disposal of last few months:
May 2008 39
June 2008 32
July 2008 05
August 2008 03

On realising that the PIOs does not obey the orders of the SIC and the SIC does not bother much on - not on RTI Act. This is evident from the
diminishing number of cases filed before SIC Kerala.
Following the data :

Number of cases filed in the month of
12/07 296
01/08 235
02/08 218
03/08 178
04/08 085
05/08 029
06/08 032
07/08 005
08/08 003

The performance of the Commission seems to be inverse with the increase in the number of Commissioner. Three months back the Commission got its 5th Commissioner and ever since their performance is:
May 2008 - 39 cases
June 2008 - 32 cases
July 2008 - 05 cases
August 2008 - 02 cases

The dismal performance ws brought to the notice of His Excellency the Governor of Kerala one year back seeking appropriate corrective action as
the Commission seems to be lacking accountability to anyone. Following is the reply received from the Nodal Department (Govt of Kerala GAD
(Coordination) No.3207/Cdn.5/08/GAD dated 27-8-2008) to my complaint under Section 17 of the RTI Act to His Excellency the Governor of Kerala on incapacity of the Commission with adequate evidence of non-performance.

" I am directed to invite your attention to the reference cited and to inform you that, the matter has been examined in detail. As per Section 17
of the Right to Information Act, His Excellency the Governor has the power to take any action on the complaints received against the State Chief Information Commissioner, Kerala or the Information Commissioners based on the grounds therein. His Excellency the Governor
requires to be satisfied that any one of the grounds mentioned in the sub-clause (a) to (e) of Section 17 of Right to Information Act, 2005 exist,
which warrants any action. The existence of such a state has not been brought out in the petition for invoking the powers under section 17 of the
Act. Hence the petition cited does not deserve consideration. I am directed to inform that the matter is disposed of accordingly "

Col NR Kurup (Retd)

[All the references and information contained here were obtained by the author in direct correspondence with the PIO of the SIC, GAD of Kerala and Governor's Office.]