Murari Tiwari

The battle for Delhi Bar Council executive posts between chairman RS Chauhan and former vice chairman and currently disputed secretary Vijay Sondhi, has entered a new stage.

The Central Information Commission (CIC) fined the Bar Council of Delhi’s (DBC) secretary Murari Tiwari Rs 25,000 for not complying with its order and for failing to appear before it, reported the PTI.

The CIC found Tiwari “fully responsible” for not furnishing information sought in a Right to Information (RTI) request seeking the total number of cases filed and disposed of against advocates for professional misconduct. The RTI applicant Arun Kumar Aggarwal had filed a complaint before the CIC.

The CIC fined Tiwari for failing “to respond to its repetitive summon orders and for causing delay and obstruction for more than 10 months, without any reasonable cause”. It directed DBC chairman RS Chauhan to recover the penalty amount by deducting Rs 5,000 from Tiwari’s salary for five months.

The CIC also added that “the CPIO appointed is not an officer but a supervisor, who is not competent to take independent decisions while dealing with RTI applications” and asked the DBC chairman “to reconsider the appointment of CPIO in line with other such councils including Bar Council of India”.

Tiwari today disputed Luthra & Luthra litigation partner Vijay Sondhi’s 13 May appointment to the post of secretary at the DBC, as reported by Legally India.

The DBC’s secretary Murari Tiwari, whom former DBC vice chairman Vijay Sondhi had allegedly replaced on 13 May, today alleged that Sondhi’s claim was false, and that he is still continuing as secretary.