Civil servants can blow whistles too

KATHMANDU, Aug 30: Civil servants need not fear being a whistle blower anymore, thanks to the Information Commission.



The commission, a quasi-judicial body, has set a declared that the government employees can not be penalized for sharing information about malpractices in their offices to the media and information seekers. [break]



This happened when Pushpa Karki, a permanent teacher at Kailali-based Saraswati Lower Secondary School, who was thrown out of her school for her shocking disclosure that the Brahmin teachers discriminated Dalit students in the school.



Karki, some four months back, disclosed to the media-persons that the Brahmin teachers of the school did not drink water ´touched´ by the Dalit pupils. According to her, Dalit students were also deprived from attending cooking classes required under the home science course. The subject requires that the items prepared by the students be tasted by the teachers. Teachers, however, never allowed their Dalit students to cook.



Karki, who made the disclosure to the media, was transferred to another school as punishment. However, she was neither allowed to take attendance, nor was paid her salary.



Advocates Meena Khadka and Madhav Basnet came to her support and lodged her complaint at the commission. The commission on Thursday issued a stay order asking the school management to let her take attendance and to also give Karki her salary. It also stated that no government employee can be penalized on the pretext of leaking information about their offices to the media.



Advocate Khadka said she was “shocked” to learn about the mistreatment meted out to an “innocent woman” who shared information with the media to fight against the malpractice. “The management and the head master of the school must be punished,” Advocate Khadka told myrepublica.com. The Right to Information Act, 2044, allows government employees to share information to the media. Article 29 of the Act states, “it is the duty of government officials to share information with anyone seeking information on any issue.”

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