HC notice to Haryana on RTI Fee Structure

Chandigarh, Jan 15 (UNI) The Punjab and Haryana High Court today expressed its displeasure to the Haryana government about latter's inability to reduce the fee structure under the Right to Information Act and not following the Punjab pattern.

The division bench of the Chief Justice Vijendra Jain and Justice Rajive Bhalla has directed the Haryana government to file an affidavit stating therein the reasons for not following the Punjab pattern. The matter has now been adjourned to April 3.

A PIL in this regard filed by H C Arora was before the bench for further hearing when the stand of the Haryana government came to be known through its counsel. Haryana has defended as 'quite reasonable' the charges fixed by it.

Punjab has begun following the central pattern after it was directed to do so by the bench.

While fee for each application is Rs 10 for Central and Punjab government offices, it is Rs 50 in Haryana. Similarly, Haryana charges Rs 10 per page for the information supplied as against Rs 2 per page by the Union and the Punjab governments.

UNI