The State Information Commission (SIC) has directed the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Thiruvananthapuram, to provide an applicant the information regarding the polling booths where the CCTV/web casting facilities were provided in the last Lok Sabha elections in the State.
The commission also directed the officer to give a copy of the footage of the polling booths where 90% polling was reported.
The commission passed the order on Friday on an appeal filed against the Deputy Electoral Office's refusal to provide the information.
The Deputy Electoral Officer dismissed the plea on the ground that permission from the Election Commission was awaited.
The Deputy Electoral Officer had said the videograph or CCTV footage would be kept in the safe custody of the district election office till the expiry of 45 days from the date of declaration of the results. If any one applied for copies of such recording during the period, a copy would be made available on payment of ₹50 on a CD.
The commission said the contention that permission from the Election Commission had been awaited was untenable under the RTI Act. The argument that the Chief Electoral Officer did not maintain details of the polling booths which recorded more than 90% polling did not hold good as the respondent office is a repository of all such information.
The commission passed the order on an appeal filed by RTI activist D.B. Binu.
