Monday 13 July 2015

Only one success for the SIC in courts in the appeals against its orders

84 cases on orders of the SIC reached the courts in past 10 years, out which the SIC received success in just a single case where its order was retained, whereas in other 83 cases the court  either ruled against the order of the SIC or till pending , this information came to light in a reply to a query filed by RTI Activist Anil Galgali. RTI Activist Anil Galgali had filed an RTI query with the Maharashtra State Information Commission, seeking information about the cases in which agencies have gone to court against the order of the SIC. The information was refused stating that there was no such data available with the SIC, forcing Galgali to file an appeal. On the appeal the SIC informed Galgali that, in the period of 10 years from 2006 to 2015 a total of 84 cases went to court, in which the SIC obtained success in just one case where as in the other 83 cases the order of the SIC was overturned or till pending in court. The most cases approaching the court were in the year 2013, wherein 24 cases were appealed in courts followed by 23 in 2014, 12 in 2012, 10 in 2010, 5 in 2011, 7 in 2015, and one each in 2006, 2008 and 2009. No cases in 2007 reached courts. One case involving the Reliance Energy Ltd is still pending in courts since 2011, which pertains to the order of the SIC bring the company under the purview of the RTI Act 2005. Important to note is that the Reliance Energy is a energy supplier in the Mumbai Suburbs. The agencies which have approached the courts against orders  by the SIC are the Govt's Home Dept, Mumbai University, Reliance Energy, Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Police Dept, and S D Corporation. It is also important to note here that the SIC also does not take much interest in the cases against it in courts, due to which the success ratio for it is less that 1%, regretted Galgali. Anil Galgali, in a letter addressed to CM Devendra Fadnavis has demanded that to maintain the importance of the SIC and to preserve the sanctity of the RTI Act 2005, the State Govt should make separate arrangements of Special Advocates to represent the SIC in forceful manner so that the orders of the SIC are maintained which will be beneficial for the common man.

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