This Commission maintains that while dealing with the matters related to information and record sought by the citizens under the Act 2017, the public bodies are under obligation to respond the applications as mandated in the Act. In the case in hand the respondent has provided partial information to the applicant. The reply is not submitted and the hearing before the Commission was not represented by the public body. It is presumed that the respondent public body is willfully avoiding the proceedings before the Commission and that the public body has nothing to submit in the defense. In such like circumstances the Commission is left with no option but to decide the appeal ex parte on the basis of material available in going the file and in the light of the Act.
The appellant being member of the institution has requested sharing of Council’s proceedings in WhatsApp group. The public body has not claimed exemption of the information rather has provided the request in the reply.
The Secretary, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan is directed to provide the appellant the requested information forthwith but in any case not later than five days of the receipt of this order.