HC ADJOURNS GCA’S PETITION AGAINST RTI TO 6TH DEC

PANJIM: A. Division Bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa comprising of Justice S.B.Deshmukh and Justice F.M.Reis today adjourned to 6th December hearing on the petition filed by the Goa Cricket Association challenging the order of the Goa State Information Commission which had directed it to furnish information to Adv. Aires Rodrigues under the Right to Information Act.

Adv. Rodrigues today submitted before the High Court that the information sought by him on the fees paid by GCA to Mr. Subodh Kantak was required by him for the defamation case filed by the Advocate General against him.

Adv. Rodrigues further submitted that the Goa Cricket Association has to explain as to what it was trying to hide by declining to furnish the information sought.

Adv. Aires Rodrigues also submitted to the High Court that inspite of being financially assisted by the Government that the Goa Cricket Association was falsely claiming that it had not sought any assistance from the Government.

Adv. Rodrigues told the court that there was documentary proof to the effect that the Goa Government had granted to the Goa Cricket Association on a 99 year lease land admeasuring 1,30,328 sq meters at Tivim worth hundreds of crores of rupees for the construction of a cricket stadium at a nominal rent of Rs 50,000/- per year.

The State Chief Information Commissioner Mr. Motilal Keny had on October 7th in a 23 page landmark judgment directed the Goa Cricket Information to furnish Adv. Aires Rodrigues the information sought by him on the fees paid by the GCA to its lawyer Mr. Subodh Kantak.

The State Chief Information Commissioner ruled that the government notification dated 8th July 2010 that all sports organizations and Sports Associations recognized by Sports Authority of Goa are covered under the RTI Act was binding on the Goa Cricket Association.

After Adv. Aires Rodrigues sought information from the Goa Cricket Association on the fees paid to their lawyer Mr. Subodh Kantak, the Goa Cricket Association which is headed by Goa’s former Law Minister Mr. Dayanand Narvekar took a stand that it does not come under the purview of the RTI Act.

The Goa Cricket Association claimed that the Right to Information Act was not applicable to it as it had not received any financial or other assistance from the Goa Government or the Sports Authority of Goa.

However Adv. Rodrigues also submitted documentary evidence of the financial and other assistance given to GCA by the Government of Goa.