The Kerala State Information Commission has imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on the public information officer (PIO) of the Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. (KMML) for delaying response to a Right to Information (RTI) query.
The officer was also found to have taken a lackadaisical stance when the issue was taken up by the commission.
State Information Commissioner K.L. Vivekanandan issued the order against KMML PIO Jaison Thomas who was accused of failing to provide a response to an application submitted by Chavara native Thomas John in February 2019. The applicant had sought information pertaining to a land acquisition undertaken by the public sector undertaking in Kovilthottam.
The Commission was met with a defiant stance as the official initially refused to abide by its order to pay the fine in December last. Later, he relented when the commission threatened to initiate revenue recovery proceedings against him.
