AS SOLICITOR GENERAL OF INDIA BUSY IN SUPREME COURT THE HIGH COURT ADJOURNS TO 13TH JULY GOA GOVERNOR’S PLEA AGAINST RTI

PANJIM: A Division bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa comprising of Justice S. A. Bobde and Justice F.M.Reis today adjourned to 13th July the petition filed by Goa’s Raj Bhavan against the Right to Information Act.

Advocate General of Goa Mr. Subodh Kantak today sought that the matter be adjourned to next week as the Solicitor General of India Mr. Gopal Subramaniam who will argue the petition on behalf the Governor of Goa was today busy in the Supreme Court. Advocate General Subodh Kantak further informed the Court that Solicitor General of India Mr. Gopal Subramaniam will argue the matter on July 13th

The Court today made it very clear that no further adjournment would be granted and that the matter will have to go on regardless of whether the Solicitor General of India can come or not.

The petition filed by Goa Governor Dr. S.S.Sidhu’s Special Secretary Dr. N. Radhakrishnan challenges the 31st March order of the Goa State Information Commission which had directed the Raj Bhavan to furnish Adv. Aires Rodrigues the information sought by him under the Right to Information Act.

The State Chief Information Commissioner Mr. Motilal Keny in his order had ruled that the Goa Governor was a “Public Authority” and does come within the ambit of the Right to Information Act.

Adv. Aires Rodrigues’s complaint against Goa Governor Dr. Sidhu follows the stand taken by the Goa Raj Bhavan that the Governor was not a public authority and did not come within the purview of the RTI Act.

Adv. Rodrigues had sought from Goa Raj Bhavan under the RTI Act details of action taken on the complaints made by him to the Governor of Goa against Advocate General of Goa Mr. Subodh Kantak. Adv. Rodrigues had also sought copies of noting sheets and correspondence pertaining to the processing of his complaints against the Advocate General of Goa.

With even the President of India complying with the RTI Act, Dr. S.S. Sidhu is India’s only Governor who has refused to comply with the RTI Act.