Governor H. R. Bhardwaj on Monday suspended Kerala State
Information Commissioner K. Natarajan.
The suspension is pending formal enquiry by a Judge of the
Supreme Court into the allegation that Mr Natarajan had tried to interfere with
the vigilance investigation into gifting of government land by Opposition
Leader V. S. Achuthanandan to his relative when Mr. Achuthandnan was Chief
Minister.
An enquiry ordered by the State government had found that
Mr. Natarajan had tried to influence Deputy Superintendent of Police V. G.
Kunhan who was investigating the case against Mr. Achuthanandan. Additional
Director General of Police (Vigilance) R. Sreelekha, who conducted the enquiry,
reported that the State Information Commissioner had misused his office and
recommended his suspension. He had repeatedly telephoned Mr. Kunhan and his
request to Mr. Kunhan to save Mr. Achuthanandan was recorded by the latter.
(Mr. Achuthanandan is accused of having allotted 2.33 acres
in Kasaragod district to his relative and ex-service man T. K. Soman in an
irregular manner. The Commissioner allegedly sought manipulation of findings of
the enquiry to favour Mr. Achuthanandan.)
The Governor will now refer the matter to the Supreme Court
seeking a statutory enquiry by a Supreme Court judge against the suspended
Commissioner. If misconduct is proved in the enquiry, the Governor can remove
Mr. Natarajan from his office.
Mr. Natarajan was a Deputy Inspector General of Police
before the Achuthanandan government appointed him as State Information
Commissioner. His appointment had attracted criticism on the grounds that he
was not qualified for appointment as Information Commissioner. (The Right to
Information Act specifies that Information Commissioners shall be persons of
eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and
technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or
administration and governance.)
Meanwhile, the Human Right Defence Forum and Kerala RTI
Federation have urged the President Pranab Mukherjee that Mr. Natarajan be
stripped of the President’s Police Medal which was awarded to him when he was
serving as a police officer. Forum President P. K. Ibrahim and Federation
General Secretary D.B. Binu said that Mr. Natarajan had “let down the honour of
the medal” by meddling with the Rule of Law.
Keywords: Kerala, Information
Commissioner, vigilance
enquiry, V
S Achuthanandan, Kerala
RTI Federation, RTI,
Surendera,
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