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NLSIU dodges appeals to alum’s dodged RTIs

NLSIU Bangalore has ignored appeals filed by its alumnus Prashant Reddy over the law school’s perfunctory right to information (RTI) replies to his queries.

In three RTIs filed in June Reddy had asked for details of the law school’s exam re-evaluation system, reasons for the dismissal of former faculty member Sidharth Chauhan, and measures taken to investigate cheating in exams held at the law school.

NLSIU’s then Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) and officiating registrar K Ashwatha Reddy replied but did not answer the queries in great detail. On 22 July 2013 Reddy filed his first appeals to the three RTIs, which, according to the official website of the Indian postal services, were received by NLSIU on 25 July.

He had also emailed the first appellate authority, NLSIU vice chancellor Venkata Rao, requesting him to appoint someone other than himself as the first appellate authority at the law school, because the queries in the RTIs pertained to Rao. Reddy said that Rao had acknowledged receipt of his email without further comment.

When the appeals were not answered by the law school within a month of their receipt, Reddy put in calls and emails to NLSIU’s administrative staff members who claimed that they had not received a copy of his appeals. Reddy added that delivery had been confirmed by India Post.

“We are rather amused and amazed by this evasive behaviour of one of the top law schools in the country - how do they expect to teach their students about the rule of law if they are not able to give honest answers to three RTI applications? So much for the law school motto of dharmo rakshati dharma,” commented Reddy.

NLSIU’s CPIO has since Reddy’s first RTIs changed, after Prof OV Nandimath’s appointment as registrar at the law school.

Rao told Legally India that the statutory period for responding to first appeals was 45 days, which had not yet run out since receiving the appeals on 25 July. He added that he had "reserved judgment" on whether to act as the first appellate authority for Reddy's appeals.

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