Dr Mukul P Gupta vs Association Of Indian Universities on 30 September, 2021

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Central Information Commission

Dr Mukul P Gupta vs Association Of Indian Universities on 30 September, 2021

Bench: Saroj Punhani

                               के   ीय सूचना आयोग
                        Central Information Commission
                            बाबागंगनाथमाग , मुिनरका
                         Baba Gangnath Marg, Munirka
                          नई द ली, New Delhi - 110067


File No : CIC/ASINU/A/2020/663432

Dr Mukul P Gupta                                        ......अपीलकता /Appellant



                                      VERSUS
                                       बनाम


CPIO,
Association of Indian
Universities, RTI Cell, 16
Comrade Indrajit Gupta Marg,
Opposite National Bal Bhawan,
Near I.T.O., New Delhi-110002.                     .... ितवादीगण /Respondent


Date of Hearing                   :   30/09/2021
Date of Decision                  :   30/09/2021

INFORMATION COMMISSIONER :            Saroj Punhani

Relevant facts emerging from appeal:

RTI application filed on          :   18/12/2019
CPIO replied on                   :   24/01/2020
First appeal filed on             :   30/01/2020
First Appellate Authority order   :   13/02/2020
2nd Appeal/Complaint dated        :   14/02/2020


                                        1
 Information sought

The Appellant filed an RTI application dated 18.12.2019 seeking the following information;

"Please provide copies of documents and information which define and clarify the Fellowship Programme in Management in general but more specifically in terms of:

a) Type of programme - education, research or training

b) Level of the programme - undergraduate, postgraduate or other

c) Nature of certification - certificate, diploma or degree

d) Equivalence of programme - Bachelors degree, Masters degree or Doctors degree

e) Conferment of Equivalence of programme - Automatic upon approval of programme by AICTE or separately through another independent process

f) Bachelors degree, Masters degree or Doctors degree

g) Conferment of Title on the students upon successful completion of the programme - Doctor or Fellow or any of the two

h) Use of the title by the student upon successful completion of the programme - Doctor or Fellow or any of the two at his choice."

The CPIO replied to the appellant on 24.01.2020 stating as follows:-

"In a recent meeting AIU has taken a decision to accord equivalence to the 4 year Fellow Programme awarded by the Institution falling outside the purview of the universities.

Details of Guidelines/procedure & Applications are available at www.aiu.ac.in.

Kindly print the Application from Downloads."

Being dissatisfied, the appellant filed a First Appeal dated 30.01.2020. FAA's order dated 13.02.2020 upheld the reply of CPIO.

Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied, appellant approached the Commission with the instant Second Appeal on the ground of unrelated information received in response to RTI Application. Further the guidelines as referred to in CPIO's reply do not exactly suffices the information sought for in the RTI application.

Relevant Facts emerging during Hearing:

The following were present:-

Appellant: Present through audio-conference. Respondent: Sreedevi S Nair, Section Officer & CPIO present through audio- conference.

The Appellant reiterated the contents of his instant Appeal as mentioned in the preceding paragraph. He further harped on the fact that the website of the Respondent authority does not contain the desired information as sought for in the RTI Application.

The CPIO submitted that reply along with relevant inputs has already been provided to the Appellant. She further apprised the Commission that the matter regarding approval for the 4 years FPM programmes is still under consideration by the AIU.

Decision:

The Commission observes from a perusal of record that the reply given by the CPIO does not specifically addresses the information related issues /queries raised by the Appellant in the instant RTI Application as per the provisions of RTI Act.

Notwithstanding the aforesaid, the information sought for by the Appellant seems to be vague and not very specific in terms of Section 2(f) of RTI Act, yet going by a liberal interpretation , the CPIO is directed to provide a revised point wise categorical reply along with relevant available information, free of cost to the Appellant. In the event, no such information is available in their office then a categorical statement to this effect should be reflected in the revised reply.

The aforesaid direction shall be complied by the CPIO within 15 days from the date of receipt of this order under due intimation to the Commission.

Saroj Punhani (सरोजपुनहािन) हािन) Information Commissioner (सूचनाआयु ) 3 Authenticated true copy (अिभ मािणत स#यािपत ित) (C.A. Joseph) Dy. Registrar 011-26179548/ [email protected] सी. ए. जोसेफ, उप-पंजीयक दनांक / 4

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