RAJKOT: A resident of Sutrapada town of Gir-Somnath district, who used right to information (RTI) act to expose corruption in a government school, has moved the Gujarat high court (HC) after being handed down an “unusually stringent” punishment of externment.
Ramsinh Mori, who used RTI to expose corruption in a government school in the town, has been externed from five districts as well as the Union territory of Diu by the sub divisional magistrate of Veraval for two years. Mori has approached the HC seeking quashing of the SDM’s order. The HC on Tuesday issued notice to the authorities and posted further hearing of the case for April 21.
The externment order dated February 5 accuses Mori of using RTI as a tool for blackmailing in government offices, schools and fair price shops for personal financial gains. The order also states two complaints lodged against him under IPC 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), IPC 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) IPC 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions).
The order also states that people are so terrified of him that they refrain from lodging a complaint. “If such activities continue, they can have serious implications on law and order in Gir-Somnath district and surrounding areas of Junagadh,” the order states. Mori has been externed from Gir-Somnath, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Rajkot (urban and rural) and Diu. After the series of RTI applications filed by Mori last year, the Junagadh district education officer had found prima facie financial irregularities in auctioning scrap and initiated an inquiry against school principal Randhir Mori in March.
“Both complaints lodged against me are by none other than Randhir Mori. I am not a criminal who can terrorize people that too in such a large area of five districts,” Mori told TOI. RTI activist Pankti Jog said, “This is a serious issue for RTI activists in the state and it will discourage people to fight wrongdoings.”
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