Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2013

From: 2013-12-16 - To: 0000-00-00 An Act to provide for transparency and freedom of information in the Punjab. Preamble.– Whereas it is expedient to provide for transparency and freedom of information to ensure that citizens have improved access to public information; to make the Government more accountable to citizens; to enforce the fundamental right of access to information in all matters of public importance; and, to provide for ancillary matters; It is enacted as follows:- 1. Short title, extent and commencement.– (1) This Act may be cited as the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013. (2) It extends to the whole of the Punjab. (3) It shall come into force at once. 2. Definitions.– In this Act– (a) “applicant” means a citizen of Pakistan or a legal person registered or incorporated in Pakistan, seeking information under this Act and includes a person authorized on behalf of the legal person; (b) “Commission” means Punjab Information Commission established under this Act; (c) “Commissioner” means an Information Commissioner and includes the Chief Information Commissioner; (d) “complaint” means a complaint made, in writing, to the Commission by an applicant on one or more of the following grounds:- (i) wrongful denial of access to information; (ii) non provision of information within the stipulated time; (iii) refusal to receive and process the request from an applicant; (iv) furnishing false, misleading or incomplete information; (v) charging fee or cost for provision of information in excess of the requisite fee; (vi) deliberate destruction of information to avoid its disclosure; (vii) failure of a public body to implement the provisions regarding proactive disclosure; or (viii) violation of any other provision of the Act by a public body; (e) “Government” means Government of the Punjab; (f) “information” means any information held by a public body and includes any memo, book, design, map, contract, representation, pamphlet, brochure, order, notification, document, plans, letter, report, accounts statement, project proposal, photograph, audio, video, drawing, film, any instrument prepared through electronic process, machine-readable…