New Delhi: With the Ministry of Civil Aviation not properly replying to and tossing around a query which had asked for details of the decision whereby permission was granted for setting up special immigration counters for first class and executive class passengers at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi for more than a year, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has now issued a show cause notice seeking explanation on the matter from its three different central public information officers (CPIOs).In his order, CIC Amitava Bhattacharyya noted that the RTI application by Aseem Takyar was filed on August 24, 2016, and he had sought information on six points in the matter. However, as the “CPIO’s reply and the First Appellate Authority (FAA)’s order were not on record”, the CIC said “aggrieved with the non-supply of the desired information from the respondent authority, the appellant filed a second appeal under the provision of Section 19 of the RTI Act” before it on January 3, 2017.Query was tossed around within the ministryBhattacharyya recorded in his order how instead of passing the information, the various PIOs in the ministry kept passing the query from one to the other. “During the hearing, the respondent CPIO handed over a written submission and stated that the nodal CPIO (P.J. Thomas) had transferred the said RTI application to the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 31.08.2016. He further transferred the same to another CPIO in the same ministry on 01.09.2016 i.e. to Shri U.K. Bhatia, CPIO. The said CPIO and Under Secretary Shri U.K. Bhatia transferred this RTI application to the CPIO (Immigration) on 12.09.2016.”The CIC said on perusal of the case record, it was seen that “all these transfers were invalid as these were administrative in nature”. He further observed that “the said RTI application was subjected to interim transfers and not sent to the correct CPIO”. It was also observed that the said transfers were effected beyond the mandatory period of five days from its receipt.More so, with the respondent CPIO not himself sure about the holder of the information, Bhattacharyya said this “shows an unhelpful and careless attitude of the respondent PIO which is deplorable and for which a show cause notice needs to be issued to the respondent PIO”.Several reasons for issuing show causeIn his order, therefore, Bhattcharyya said a show cause notice was being issued to the respondent PIO, U.K. Bhatia, CPIO, Ministry of Civil Aviation and the then CPIO (Immigration), Ministry of Civil Aviation u/s 20 of the RTI Act. However, answers have been sought from three different CPIOs in the ministry. The Commissioner called upon the CPIO to explain “why this RTI application was not transferred in the proper format as stipulated u/s 6(3) of the RTI Act and within 05 days as prescribed under the same Act (nodal CPIO to explain); why no proper information about the holder of the information was provided (respondent PIO, U.K. Bhatia, CPIO, Ministry of Civil Aviation to explain the above points); why no reply was provided to the appellant in all these years (the then CPIO(Immigration), Ministry of Civil Aviation to explain on this point)”.The officials have bene asked to give their explanations within 15 days of the receipt of this order, the CIC held, adding that on receipt of the explanation further action as deemed appropriate will be taken by the Commission in the present case.The CIC also cautioned the respondent CPIO that “in the event of non-submission of the explanation within the time period stipulated above, the Commission has the liberty to take the required decision ex-parte against the respondent CPIO(s).”It further directed the present respondent CPIO, P.J. Thomas, to provide point wise reply – complete in all respects – to the appellant as available on record in the form of certified true copies of the documents sought within 15 days of its order.