By RTI Activist Pradip Pradhan
BHUBANESWAR:If a stupid, unscrupulous person is appointed to this position, the prestige of that position is destroyed, which is being seen in the case of the Odisha Information Commission.
On 13.9.25, the inexperienced and incompetent Information Commissioner, Susanta Mohanty, on 13.9.25, he heard 61 appeals (second appeal and complaint) of Chitta Sethi, an anti-corruption activist from Puri district, at the same time and made an order. No such commission had made such an order in the history of Odisha. Shri Mohanty dismissed 61 appeals in one order and indicated that no information would be given to the appellant Shri Sethi. Secondly, Shri Sethi cannot ask for any more information under the Information Act. He can only make 12 applications in a year. Thirdly, he directed the Puri District Magistrate to verify the BPL card of Shri Sethi. He directed all the departments to communicate this order of the commission.
Even knowing that the Information Commission does not have such powers under the Information Act, the foolish Chief Information Commissioner, Manoj Parida, issued a press release describing the order of Shri Mohanty as an era-ending order and repeatedly circulated it in the media.
At this very moment, Shri Chitta approached the High Court, calling the Information Commission’s order illegal and unconstitutional.
On 15.1.26, the Hon’ble High Court, while hearing Writ Petition No. 29216/25, dismissed this absurd order of the Information Commission as illegal and said that it was an attack on the constitutional rights of the citizens.
Therefore, the Information Commission was asked on 21.1.26 to find out whether the Information Commission has taken any action on this order of Shri Susanta Mohanty. Surprisingly, the PIO of the Information Commission did not provide any information. After that, the first appeal was filed. But even after a month, the first appeal authority did not pass the order.
If the Information Commission itself hides facts, then where will the people get justice?This is the true character of the Information Commission in the state.
