Central Information Commissioner to Interrogate Canara Bank DM on January 15

Jamshedpur: In response to a second appeal filed by RTI activist Kritivas Mandal, the Central Information Commissioner, Anandi Ramligan, is set to interrogate Canara Bank’s District Manager (DM) on January 15 at 10:30 am. The hearing will be conducted via video conference at the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

Kritivas Mandal had submitted an RTI request to Canara Bank’s Khasmahal/Karandih branch, seeking information on 11 points for the benefit of the general public. However, the requested information was not provided within the stipulated timeframe by Canara Bank’s Branch Manager, Sandeep Kumar. In response, Mandal escalated the matter with a second appeal to the Chief Information Commissioner at the Central Information Commission in Delhi.

The Central Information Commissioner has directed the DM (Jamshedpur) of Canara Bank to attend the hearing in person, bringing along the complete file. The DM is expected to be well-versed in the details of the case, and if unable to participate, they must provide a valid explanation. It has been explicitly stated that officials below the Public Information Officer are not authorized to represent the bank during the hearing.
Appellant Kritivas Mandal has also been summoned to attend the hearing promptly, ensuring that he can present all relevant facts during the session.