Mumbai, January 05: The Chief Central Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, whose resignation is still hanging fire, is being accorded preferential treatment.
“His resignation is not being accorded the same legal treatment as that of former Information Commissioner Smt Omita Paul,” pointed out Mr Mittal, who today served legal notice to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Ministry of Personnel & Grievances (DoPT). The notice urges the Union Government to take three steps to set right the wrong:
Firstly, give effect to resignation of Shri Wajahat Habibullah as CCIC retrospectively from the exact date and time that it was tendered to the Secretariat of President of India.
Secondly, recover the salary and other pecuniary benefits given to Shri Wajahat Habibullah in his capacity as CCIC as it is public money.
Thirdly, declare as null and void all decisions taken and Orders pronounced by him in his capacity as Central Information Commissioner after his tendering resignation.
The documents cited in the legal notice are part of about 350 pages which surfaced in late November 2009 in response to activist Girish Mittal’s RTI application to DoPT. In December 2008, DoPT had denied having such documents, and CCIC Wajahat Habibullah had upheld this denial.
In earlier years, PMO, DoPT and CCIC Wajahat had denied such information pertaining to appointment, retirement and resignation of Information Commissioners by citing the Official Secrets Act 1923.
–Agencies