Under the RTI Act, a penalty may be imposed on a PIO

Solution

Under Section 20 of the Right to Information Act, the Information Commission may impose a penalty of two hundred fifty rupees for each day of delay where the Public Information Officer, without any reasonable cause, fails to provide information within the specified time, or refuses to receive an application, or knowingly gives incorrect, incomplete or misleading information, subject to a maximum total penalty. This penal provision holds PIOs accountable for unjustified refusals or delays and reinforces compliance with the Act.