Andhra Pradesh Information Commissioner imposes ₹20,000 penalty on PIO for RTI delay

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Andhra Pradesh Information Commissioner Rehana Begum has imposed a penalty of ₹20,000 on a Public Information Officer (PIO) for failing to provide information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act within the stipulated time.

RTI activist A. Chengal Rayulu of Tirupati rural mandal had filed an application in November 2022 seeking information under Section 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act relating to the Office of Printing, Stationery and Stores Purchases in Vijayawada. As the information was not furnished within 30 days, he approached the State Information Commission in December 2022.

During a hearing on August 24, Mr. Rayulu informed the Commission that he had not received the information even after more than three years. The Commission noted that S. Zaheer, Assistant Director and the PIO who had received the application in 2022, was continuing in the same position.

The Commission issued a show-cause notice to the PIO, seeking an explanation for the delay and failure to proactively disclose information required under Section 4(1)(b).

At the hearing on September 16, the PIO admitted that the information had not been furnished within the prescribed period. He said he had instructed the Assistant PIO to provide the information, but the officer had failed to do so and retired in 2024.

The PIO claimed that the information was eventually provided to the complainant on September 19, 2025, but failed to produce any evidence of its delivery.

Rejecting the explanation, Ms. Begum imposed a penalty of ₹20,000 and directed the Principal Secretary of the Home Department to recover the amount from the officer’s salary and remit it to the government treasury.

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