Cuttack, May 26: A petition filed here has questioned the Orissa High Court-prescribed fee structure for seeking information under the RTI Act.
The petition says that the fee structure fixed according to the court's RTI rules should be in consonance with the RTI Act of 2005.
The court has fixed the hearing in the first week after the court reopens after summer vacation on June 20.
The plea by Sanjib Kumar Patry, 41, has sought quashing of rules 4 (A) and (C) of Orissa High Court Right to Information Rule, 2005, under which non-judicial stamp is the only mode of payment to access information. It said that the provision was "not in consonance" with the object and provisions of Right to Information Rules, 2012.
It has also sought quashing of Rule 4 (D) of the Rule under which Rs 10 is demanded as fee for each form to access information. The petitioner said that demanding Rs 10 per form under Rule 4 (D) and thereafter again collecting application fee of Rs 10 per application under Rule 4 (A) is "unreasonable and arbitrary".
The Rule 4 (A) prescribes payment of Rs 10 towards application fee in the shape of non-judicial stamp and Rule 4 (C) prescribes payment of Rs 2 in shape of non-judicial stamp only for each sheet of paper for providing information.
"There is no provision under the RTI Act for separate cost to obtain the application form only," the petition contends. The application fee under the parent RTI Act is Rs 10 and the fee for photocopies is Rs 2.
The petition has said the RTI Act directs that fees should be reasonable and sought that the high court's RTI rules be flexed.
The petitioner has also said that there was no provision under the high court's RTI rules for providing access to information to citizens falling under the below poverty line category free of cost and has sought that such a provision should also be incorporated in the rules.
The petitioner has also sought starting of online facility to receive RTI applications and fees. He said he had filed the petition after not receiving any reply from the competent authority.
