B’luru: RTI activists upset as Commission dismisses 6,946 appellate applications in one day
Bengaluru: RTI (Right to Information) activists in Karnataka are raising concerns over the State Information Commission's alleged attempt to dismiss a large number of appellate applications related to the previous BJP government's actions in the state. They claim that the commission is trying to cover up irregularities during the BJP's tenure by swiftly dismissing 6,946 such applications in a single day.
The activists argued that the Commission has a responsibility to provide the information requested by applicants, and the mass dismissal of these applications weakens the RTI Act. They asserted that no other state has seen such a significant and abrupt dismissal of RTI-related applications. They expressed the view that this move by the State Information Commission in Karnataka will only serve to exacerbate cases of corruption within government departments.
Furthermore, the activists pointed out that by the end of 2022, approximately 28,000 appellate applications were pending review by the Commission. However, under the leadership of NC Srinivas, the new commissioner, this number has surged to 42,000. Most of these pending applications are related to cases governed by RTI Act Section 4(1) (A) (B).
The activists also raised concerns about the handling of applications through video conferencing since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. They perceived this as an indication of the Commission's irresponsible behavior and attitude towards its responsibilities.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
