Jharkhand High Court
Navin Kumar Singh vs The State Of Jharkhand on 18 March, 2025
Author: Rajesh Shankar
Bench: Rajesh Shankar
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JHARKHAND AT RANCHI
W.P.(C) No. 1094 of 2025
Navin Kumar Singh, S/o Late Nageshwar Prasad Singh, R/o Anupurna
Chowk, Sadhana News Building, Nagratoli, Lalpur, Ranchi
... ... Petitioner
Versus
1. The State of Jharkhand
2. The Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand, Ranchi
3. The Secretary, Department of Forest, Environment and Climate
Change, Government of Jharkhand, Ranchi
4. The Member Secretary, State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC),
Jharkhand having its office at Dhurwa, Ranchi
5. The Public Information Officer and First Appellate Officer, State
Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Jharkhand,
having its office at Dhurwa, Ranchi
6. The Public Information Officer, Department of Forest, Environment
and Climate Change, Doranda, Ranchi
7. First Appellate Officer, Department of Forest, Environment and
Climate Change, Doranda, Ranchi ... ... Respondents
CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE RAJESH SHANKAR
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For the Petitioner : Mr. Samavesh Bhanj Deo, Advocate For the Respondents : Mr. Ajit Kumar, AC to GA-V
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03/18.03.2025 The present writ petition has been filed for issuance of direction upon the respondents to provide complete and accurate information under the Right to Information Act, 2005 with respect to certain dishonest practices allegedly prevailing in the office of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Jharkhand and the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC), Jharkhand - a wing of Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change constituted for the State of Jharkhand, for which the petitioner had applied for information under the Act, 2005 on 24.12.2024 and had also preferred first appeal under Section 19(1) of the said Act on 27.01.2025, followed by a revised first appeal on 29.01.2025.
2. Having heard learned counsel for the parties and considering that the petitioner by way of the present writ petition has primarily sought information under the Act, 2005, I am not inclined to entertain the writ petition at this stage.
3. The petitioner is, however, at liberty to file second appeal before the Jharkhand State Information Commission as soon as the same gets functional.
4. The writ petition is accordingly dismissed with aforesaid liberty.
(Rajesh Shankar, J.) Manish 2 W.P.(C). No. 1094 of 2025