Maharashtra News: CIC Orders ₹50,000 Compensation To Retired RPF Employee For Harassment Over Delayed Medical Reimbursement Response

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Public Authority to pay Rs 50,000 as compensation to a retired employee of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) B N Jogadankar, for causing him mental agony and harassment suffered due to delayed and inadequate responses to his Right to Information (RTI) application regarding his medical reimbursement claim.

Meanwhile the CIC has given a time of four weeks to the Public information officer (PIO) to give written explanation as to why a compensation of Rs. 50,000 should not be awarded to Jogadankar.

The case arose when Jogadankar, a retired employee a resident of Gulbarga, filed an RTI application on November 3, 2023, seeking details about the approval and disbursement status of his medical reimbursement claim amounting to Rs 1,09,016, deposited in the DPO/SUR office on September 14, 2023.

However, in its reply dated November 8, 2023, the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) rejected the request, claiming that the information sought did not fall under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Dissatisfied, the appellant filed a first appeal on November 17, 2023. The First Appellate Authority (FAA) upheld the CPIO’s response on November 21, 2023. Subsequently, the appellant approached the Commission through a second appeal.

During the hearing, the appellant, appearing via video conference, argued that the CPIO’s reply was evasive and misleading, even though he had eventually received partial payment. He highlighted that, with no railway hospital within a 100-km radius, he had no choice but to seek treatment at an empanelled private hospital, yet his reimbursement claims were delayed and substantially reduced without proper justification. He requested compensation for the hardship faced.

The PIO, admitted during the hearing that complete information was only provided at the second appeal stage. The latest information shared by the respondent confirmed that the appellant’s claim had been sanctioned for Rs 61,807 on July 13, 2024, forwarded to the concerned departments for payment, and was cleared by the accounts office on August 19, 2024.

The Commission, after hearing both parties and reviewing the records, observed serious lapses on part of the Respondent Public Authority. It noted that the appellant had to struggle for basic information about his own reimbursement and face arbitrary deductions amounting to nearly 50% of his claim, in addition to suffering from long delays.

Criticizing the misuse of Section 2(f) of the RTI Act to deny straightforward information, the Commission remarked that the appellant had to “run from pillar to post” to access what was rightfully his. Furthermore, it took cognizance of the broader issue raised by the appellant regarding the absence of government healthcare facilities for retirees in his locality.