Over 2 lakh RTI pleas pending

What is the News?

Satark Nagrik Sangathan(SNS) has released a Report Card on the Performance of Information Commissions in India, 2021.

What are the key findings of the report?

Vacancies in Information Commissions: Under the RTI Act, information commissions consist of a chief information commissioner and up to 10 information commissioners, appointed by the President of India at the central level and by the governor in the states. 

However, the CIC  has three vacancies left and has not functioned at its full strength of 10 Commissioners.

Delay in Disposal of Cases: The report has highlighted the delays in disposing of cases due to both shortage of personnel and inefficient operations.

For example, a complaint filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI) in Odisha this summer would not be disposed of by the State’s Information Commission until 2028 at the current rate of operations. 

Moreover, twelve State Information Commissions plus the Central Information Commission (CIC) would need at least a year to dispose of their appeals.

Functioning of Information Commissions: An assessment of the functioning of the  Information Commissions has revealed that 21 out of 29 commissions in the country did not hold a single hearing during the first three stages of the national lockdown imposed in 2020.

Source:  This article is based on the article “Over 2 lakh RTI pleas pending” published on 11th October.

Terms to know:

• Right to Information Act, 2005