Orissa High Court refuses to grant interim keep on OIC order

By Express News Service
CUTTACK:  The Orissa High Court has refused to grant interim keep on Odisha Information Commission (OIC)’s decree declaring Odisha Olympic Association (OOA) as a public authority throughout the definition of the Right to Information Act-2005.

OIC had issued the order on July 9, 2020 on a criticism for bringing OOA below the ambit of RTI to make sure better transparency and accountability in its operations. While issuing the order, OIC had directed OOA to adjust to the provisions of Act inside 30 days from the date of receipt of the order. 

Accordingly, OOA, the apex sports activities physique of the State, was to arrange an RTI cell with appointment of a Public Information Officer and First Appellate Authority to adjust to the provisions of the Act and pave the best way for residents to entry data, data and paperwork of the affiliation.

But OOA had filed a petition difficult the OIC order on April 30 on the bottom that it’s a personal physique and can’t be introduced below the RTI. An interim utility was additionally filed searching for a keep order.  The petition got here up earlier than the Vacation Court on Monday. But after a preliminary listening to, the holiday bench of Justice SK Panigrahi issued discover to the State authorities and OIC to file a response when the matter is taken up after the summer time trip.

The OOA operates and maintains the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack which had come up on land given by the federal government below a long-term lease for growth of sports activities in Odisha. OOA is affiliated to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) which has already subjected itself to the provisions of RTI in compliance with the order handed by the High Court of Delhi in some writ petitions in 2010. “In that view of the matter, the OOA would not be justified to claim that it is outside the purview of RTI Act as the IOA is subject to the said Act”, the OIC had dominated in its July 9 order.