I submitted RTI application on 9 August 2025 requesting records & information related to Moga district administration’s meetings and complaints during a specified period. This is text of application :
Information sought for the period: 9 August 2024 to 9 August 2024
Requested details:
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Records of Meetings & Decisions
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Copies of all official meetings (chaired by District Collector, officer-level meetings, public grievance redressal meetings).
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Detailed minutes (date, agenda, attendees, discussions, decisions)
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Follow-up or implementation action status on decisions taken.
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Complaints Against Administrative Officers
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List of complaints received in the given period.
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Nature and subject matter of each complaint.
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Investigation process, status, and outcomes (including any disciplinary action).
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Any public reports/summaries on complaint handling.
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On 11 august 2025 PIO replied this :
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The sought information is unclear.
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The requested data would require collection and creation of new information — under the RTI Act, only existing documents/records (where date, year, or letter number is specifically mentioned) are provided.
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RTI does not oblige the public authority to compile and create new records.
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Applicant is advised to specify:
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Exact year, month, date
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Or letter/document number
So the relevant record can be provided.
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I filed first appeal on 03 September 2025 whose text was :
Grounds of Appeal:
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Specific Date Already Provided: The RTI application clearly specified the date “09 August 2024” for which the records were sought.
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Existence of Records: The meetings and complaints for that date are recorded in official registers and files. I am not requesting the PIO to create or compile new information but only copies of existing records as maintained.
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PIO’s Obligation Under RTI Act: As per Section 2(f) of the RTI Act, “information” includes records, documents, memos, e-mails, minutes of meetings, orders, and reports. Providing such records does not constitute “creating” new information.
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Violation of Section 7(1): The outright refusal without supplying available documents for the given date is a violation of the spirit and provisions of the RTI Act.
Prayer:
In light of the above, I request the First Appellate Authority to kindly:
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Direct the PIO to provide the requested documents as per my original RTI dated 09/08/2025 for the date 09/08/2024 without further delay.
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Clarify to the PIO that providing existing records for a specified date does not amount to “creation” of new information.
On 24 September 2025 was hearing of First Appeal,
I went to first appeal hearing today, the representative of pio didn't say anything and First Appellate Authority wasn't exactly impartial. She said to me to give specific details of information required by me, I said my RTI is specific. She then asked me to give reason for asking this information I said I don't have to give reason under RTI Act and then she said supreme court guidelines says that I have to give reason. I didn't gave any reason as was my right.
Then she said to pio to collect information and ask for additional fee from me which could be around 50000 rupees (assuming she was trying to scare me) . I said as statutory timeline has passed the PIO is not entitled to ask for additional fee and the information should be provided free of cost. Then she said that I can ask for additional fee as FAA. I didn't say anything and I left the hearing along with pio. She hasn't uploaded judgement on connect punjab portal(i.e official portal for rti in Punjab). What should I do?
