Chief secy told to explain measures being taken to implement RTI law
The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the chief secretary to submit a progress report mentioning steps being taken to implement the Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act.
The direction came recently on a petition seeking the implementation of the Section 6 of the law that bound public bodies to proactively disclose information. The petitioner submitted that a public body was bound under the law to proactively disclose and publish particulars of its organisation, functions and duties, budget, all proposed and actual expenditures, execution of subsidy programmes and other functions, but the law was not being implemented in letter and spirit.
He submitted that every public body was supposed to disseminate all information as widely as possible, including on the internet, so that all the citizens had easy access to it. The chief secretary filed his statement with a supportive affidavit that said the administrative secretaries of departments had submitted their statements mentioning that the Section 6 of the Act was being partially implemented and within the shortest possible time, proactive disclosure of information would be ensured through the internet so that all the citizens had access to it.
He said the administrative secretaries had stated that a system would be made operational within a one month in this regard and requested the high court to dispose of the petition on the basis of such statements.
A division bench of the high court headed by Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed after taking the statement of the chief secretary on record directed him to file a report on further steps that had been taken to comply with the Section 6 of the Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act.
Bail dismissed: The SHC also recently dismissed the bail application of a man in a rape case. Mohammad Rashid was arrested by the police for allegedly subjecting a woman to rape. A counsel for the applicant submitted that he was implicated in the case falsely by the complainant over a matrimonial dispute.
He submitted that the FIR of the incident had been lodged after a delay of about 21 days and the case had finally been challaned, after which the applicant was entitled to be released on bail.
An assistant prosecutor general opposed the release of the applicant on bail contending that he had committed an offence that was affecting the society at large.
A single bench of the high court comprising Justice Irshad Ali Shah after hearing the arguments observed that the applicant’s name was appearing in the FIR with the allegation that he had enticed away the victim with the intention to subject her to rape and subsequently, she was subjected to rape, which was supported by the medical examination.
The SHC observed that it would be premature to say that the applicant being innocent had been involved in this case falsely by the complainant. The high court observed that nothing had been brought on record by the applicant that suggested a matrimonial dispute between him and the complainant.
The bench observed that the delay in the registration of the FIR did not go in favour of the applicant at this stage. The high court dismissed the bail application.
Source: The News
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