RTI crackdown: Haryana to deduct pending penalties directly from officers’ salaries

“To ensure smooth compliance, the government has approved a structured monthly installment mechanism instead of lump-sum recovery. As per the approved schedule, recovery will be effected by the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) from the salaries or pensions of the concerned officers. Class-A officers will contribute Rs. 10,000 per month (Rs. 5,000 in case of retired officers), Class-B officers Rs. 7,000 per month (Rs. 3,500 if retired), and Class-C officers Rs. 4,000 per month (Rs. 2,000 if retired) until the entire outstanding amount is recovered”, a senior official said.

The government has clarified that in cases where the concerned SPIO has expired, the penalty shall be waived. For serving Sarpanches, recovery will be made at Rs. 3,000 per month from their honorarium. Cases involving Ex-Sarpanches will be referred to the respective Deputy Commissioners for action under applicable revenue laws.

“Administrative Secretaries have been asked to personally monitor compliance and submit periodic status reports to the State Information Commission, underscoring the government’s commitment to transparency and institutional discipline”, official sources said.

Why penalties were imposed

Under the RTI Act, the State Information Commission is empowered to impose penalties of up to Rs 25,000 on officials who: fail to provide information within the prescribed 30-day period, maliciously deny information, provide misleading or incomplete information, and destroy requested records.

Officials are liable to pay Rs 250 per day of delay, subject to the maximum limit. Sources indicate that many of these penalties had remained unrecovered for extended periods, prompting the latest intervention from the Chief Secretary’s office.