Disputing the version of events put forward by RTI activist Siva Elango, who was arrested from the premises of the State Information Commission (SIC) on Wednesday, chief information commissioner of Tamil Nadu, K.S. Sripathi, said the question of offering him a seat never arose.
“I was in the chamber too and the applicant (Siva Elango) was seated during the proceedings. He refused to leave if an order wasn’t passed immediately. He also sat through other hearings that followed his case and disrupted the proceedings,” Mr. Sripathi said.
However, he admitted, on an earlier occasion, Mr. Elango had raised the issue of seating during proceedings and was told SIC followed the same procedures as a civil court, where people stand. “This man was waiting to create a scene,” Mr. Sripathi said, adding, “I have no regrets (over the course of events).”
Reacting to other complaints about the functioning of SIC, Mr. Sripathi said, “We are not an RTI watchdog and cannot command government agencies to do certain things.”
