15/09/2010
New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI)
Central Information Commission may collaborate with the Unique Identification Authority of India to ensure that anonymous RTI applicants could be discouraged.
The unique 12 digit number given to residents under Unique Identification Authority of India can help to avoid frivolous applications from anonymous RTI applicants, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said today.
"No decision has been taken but there is possibility that we may collaborate with them," he said.
After the conclusion of two-day long fifth annual convention of Central Information Commission, Habibullah told reporters that UIDAI or Adhaar can be helpful in curbing anonymous applicants.
"There is provision in the law where a person will have to declare his identity while seeking information from a government department," Habibullah said in reply to a question on anonymous RTI applicants who are using information for monetary gains.
Habibullah said frivolous and vexatious applications constitute very few of the RTI queries sent to different government department and it is not a major issue.
He said the problem with eliminating frivolous applications is that there is no clarity about who will decide which query is frivolous.
"The power to decide whether an application is frivolous or not cannot left to a Central Public Information Officer," Habibullah told PTI.