RTI REVEALS THAT GOA AG MAINTAINS NO RECORDS OF FILES SENT TO HIM

PANJIM: The Office of the Advocate General of Goa maintains no records of files sent to him for legal opinion.

This has been revealed in information furnished by the Law Department to Adv. Aires Rodrigues under the Right to Information Act.

Adv. Aires Rodrigues had sought information on the total number of files that were received by the Advocate General of Goa for legal opinion from Jan 2010.

The Under Secretary Law has also informed Adv. Aires Rodrigues that there are no guidelines, rules or protocol on the manner and types of files that can be sent to the Advocate General for legal opinion.

Reacting to the information furnished to him, Adv. Aires Rodrigues has stated that it was yet another case of lack of transparency and accountability in the office of Goa's Advocate General.

Adv. Rodrigues has further stated that if no records of files are maintained it would be difficult to track down the movement of files.

Adv. Rodrigues has also stated that though in other states a file to the Advocate General is only sent through the office of the Governor or Chief Minister, that in Goa strangely all sorts of files by any officials are being sent sometimes unnecessarily to the Advocate General.

Adv. Rodrigues has alleged that files not needing the legal opinion of the Advocate General are being sent to him and sometimes remain stalled there for weeks if not months together.

Adv. Rodrigues has demanded that it needs to be probed whether the files are intentionally landing in the office of the Advocate General for ulterior motives.