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As the 20th anniversary of the Right to Information Act, 2005 approaches, galore State Information Commissions (SICs) and the Central Information Commission (CIC) are either paralysed oregon truthful understaffed that hearings could instrumentality years to happen, according to a study by a citizens’ radical moving to beforehand transparency successful authorities functioning.
The SICs and the CIC perceive appeals and complaints erstwhile citizens are dissatisfied with the effect of an RTI application. There were implicit 2.4 lakh appeals successful 2024.
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The latest variation of the Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS)’s yearly appraisal shows that six SICs — Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Tripura and Madhya Pradesh — were defunct for varying periods of clip betwixt July 1, 2024 to October 7, 2025 arsenic nary caller Commissioners were appointed upon the incumbents demitting office.” The SICs of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Bihar are functioning without a afloat spot of Commissioners.
Commissioners are appointed by the President oregon the Governor of a State, pursuing a proposal by the Prime Minister oregon Chief Minister, depending connected whether the prime is for the CIC oregon an SIC. (The assignment is formally made by a committee, but 2 of the 3 members are the PM oregon the CM, and a Minister appointed by them.)
Meanwhile, the Central Information Commission, which hears appeals against RTI responses to Union authorities organisations, is functioning with lone 2 Information Commissioners, with 9 vacancies, including for the Chief Information Commissioner, and hearings tin instrumentality implicit a twelvemonth to travel up.
The backlog is mounting, with Commissions lone capable to dispose of 1.8 lakh cases successful a twelvemonth with 2.4 lakh appeals. In immoderate States, the existent velocity of hearings taking spot is acold slower: the SNS’s study “shows that the Telangana SIC would instrumentality an estimated 29 years and 2 months — a substance filed connected July 1, 2025 would beryllium disposed [of] successful the twelvemonth 2054.”
Even statutory administrative functions person not been observed successful seriousness: 20 of the 29 Commissions person not published an yearly study for the twelvemonth 2023–24, SNS said. As for penalties, which Commissions tin enforce connected nationalist accusation officers for unduly delaying oregon refusing information, nary specified levies were imposed successful 98% of cases wherever specified fines were could beryllium perchance imposed, the SNS found.
The study was based connected 146 RTI applications to the SICs and the CIC, SNS said. Over 4 lakh appeals and complaints were pending arsenic of June, with Maharashtra (95,340), Karnataka (47,825) and Tamil Nadu (41,059) with the largest outstanding backlog.
