The Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice S.A. Bobde and Justice F.M. Reis adjourned a petition filed by Goa Governor's Special Secretary N. Radhakrishnan, against the applicability of the Right to Information Act (RTI) to Governor's office to July 6.
Advocate-General Subodh Kantak on Wednesday sought the matter to be adjourned as the Solicitor-General of India Gopal Subramaniam would be arguing the matter on behalf of the Governor of Goa.
The court posted the hearing to July 6 regardless of Mr. Subramaniam's presence.
Aires Rodrigues submitted to the court that the matter was urgent as Goa Governor S.S. Sidhu was the only Governor not complying with the provisions of the RTI Act. He told the court that the information sought by him from Raj Bhavan was required in the defamation case filed by Advocate-General Kantak against him.
The petition filed by N. Radhakrishnan challenged a March 31 order of the Goa State Information Commission which had directed the Raj Bhavan to furnish to Mr. Rodrigues, the information sought by him under the RTI Act.
The State Chief Information Commissioner, Motilal Keny, in his order had ruled that the Goa Governor was a public authority and did come within the ambit of the RTI Act.
Mr. Rodrigues complaint followed the stand taken by the Goa Raj Bhavan that the Governor was not a public authority and did not come within the purview of the RTI Act.
He sought from Goa Raj Bhavan under the RTI Act, details of action taken on the complaints made by him to the Governor of Goa against Mr. Kantak.
He had sought copies of noting sheets and correspondence, pertaining to the processing of his complaints against the Advocate-General.
