Orders of Commissioner (Appeals) on the Net?
A Netizen wonders why the orders of the Commissioner (Appeals) are not uploaded in their websites. He says,
“we have to resort to RTI Act, 2005 to get copy of ruling from the Commissioner (Appeal). In this connection, I would like to draw your kind attention to the following extract taken from RTI Act, 2005:-
Section 4 (2). It shall be a constant endeavour of every public authority to take steps in accordance with requirements of clause (b) of sub-section (1) to provide as much information suo motu to the public at regular intervals through various means of communications, including internet, so that the public have minimum resort to the use of this Act to obtain information.”
He wanted to give vent to his “pent-up feelings through the courtesy of taxindiaonline.com. to prevail upon Commissioners (Appeals) ..”
All Fine sir, but the Commissioners (Appeals) do not have websites – for that matter they don't have independent offices; they are dependent on the mercy of the jurisdictional Commissioners for daily needs like stationery and equipment and not all jurisdictional Commissioners are kind to their less worth colleagues called Commissioners (Appeals). Further not all Commissioners have websites and most of whom do, rarely update them.
So, getting orders of Commissioners (Appeals) from the web is a far cry as of now. Let us hope it would happen soon.
Incidentally why would anyone want the orders of the Commissioners (Appeals)? In a department that is famous for flouting the orders of their own Board and the Supreme Court, do you think anyone will give precedential value to the orders of Commissioner (Appeals)?