Govt denies info on Chief Information Commissioner applicants
4 years, 2 months ago

Govt denies info on Chief Information Commissioner applicants

The Hindu  

The Department of Personnel and Training has received 139 applications for the post of Chief Information Commissioner, which has been vacant for almost two months. However, it has denied a Right to Information request seeking further details about the candidates, the search committee members and the short-listing criteria, despite a Supreme Court order directing the government to make such information public. Applications invited in July In July, the DoPT invited applications for the Chief Information Commissioner post. In its February 2019 order, the Supreme Ccourt directed that to ensure transparency of Information Commissioner appointments, the Central and State governments should put up “all necessary information” on their website, including particulars of the applicants and composition of the selection committee.

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History of this topic

RTI Website Reopens After Over a Year, Faces Issues
3 weeks, 6 days ago

RTI Website Reopens After Over a Year, Faces Issues

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: After being non-functional for about more than a year, the Right to Information website has opened for public access but with some difficulties. It was non-functional due to the lack of a security audit certificate, the ITEC department stated in a response to a query filed by an activist under the Right to Information Act. "The contacts of each …

Ecostani: Why the landmark RTI act is moribund and who is to blame
1 month ago

Ecostani: Why the landmark RTI act is moribund and who is to blame

Hindustan Times  

The only law in India that authorises people to question those in power, the Right To Information Act, has been weakened in several states including those ruled by the Congress, the party that introduced the landmark transparency law in 2005. In many states, state information commissions have been defunct for several years as the information commissioners, who hear the RTI …

After RTI Activist Flags Vacancies In Information Commissions, Supreme Court Seeks Data From Centre & States On CIC/SICs
1 month, 2 weeks ago

After RTI Activist Flags Vacancies In Information Commissions, Supreme Court Seeks Data From Centre & States On CIC/SICs

Live Law  

The Supreme Court today called on the Centre and states to furnish data regarding vacancies in Central/State Information Commissions as well as the proposed timelines for appointment of Information Commissioners thereto.A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order in a PIL raising the issue of large number of vacancies in information commissions set up under the …

6,845 RTI applications and appeals pending with State Information Commission
2 months ago

6,845 RTI applications and appeals pending with State Information Commission

New Indian Express  

THRISSUR : Introduced in 2005 to ensure transparency in governance, the Right to Information Act is considered a powerful tool against corruption, empowering ordinary citizens to question those in power about their actions. According to data, as of August 9, a total of 6,845 RTI applications, including newly filed applications and appeals, are pending in the office of the State …

‘Activists have better knowledge of RTI Act than government officials’
5 months, 3 weeks ago

‘Activists have better knowledge of RTI Act than government officials’

The Hindu  

Expressing discontentment over the poor knowledge of the Right To Information Act among government officials, Ravindra Gurunath Dhakappa, the State Information Commissioner, said that some RTI activists had better knowledge of the RTI Act than them. “Poor knowledge of the RTI Act in government officials results in annoyance for applicants who rightfully seek information from public offices. Speaking on the …

INTERVIEW | ‘Information Commissions should be in the ICU’: Aruna Roy
1 year, 1 month ago

INTERVIEW | ‘Information Commissions should be in the ICU’: Aruna Roy

The Hindu  

The social activist says that those in power continue to find ways to refuse and thwart RTI requests. Power and independence equivalent to the Election Commissioners were vested in them to ensure smooth implementation of the law so that citizens could easily access information without interference from the officers who held the information. If “justice delayed is justice denied”, then …

Kept in the dark; democratic norms thrown to wind, says Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on selection of Chief Information Commissioner
1 year, 2 months ago

Kept in the dark; democratic norms thrown to wind, says Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on selection of Chief Information Commissioner

The Hindu  

Congress MP and member of the selection committee for appointment of the Chief Information Commissioner Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to President Droupadi Murmu saying he was "kept in the dark" in the selection process and that all democratic norms, customs and procedures were "thrown to the wind". "Given the facts pertaining to the entire selection process as brought out …

Right To Information Act will become a dead letter if...: Supreme Court to Centre
1 year, 2 months ago

Right To Information Act will become a dead letter if...: Supreme Court to Centre

India Today  

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre and state governments to fill vacancies in Information Commissions across the country, saying that if the posts were not filled then the whole purpose of the Right To Information Act would be defeated and the Act would become a "dead letter". "The failure of the state governments to fill the posts of …

MCA Refuses To Disclose In RTI The List Of Candidates Recommended By Selection Committee For Post Of NCLT Members
1 year, 3 months ago

MCA Refuses To Disclose In RTI The List Of Candidates Recommended By Selection Committee For Post Of NCLT Members

Live Law  

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, has declined to disclose under the ‘Right to Information Act, 2005’ the list of candidates recommended by Selection Committee, headed by Chief Justice of India, for the post of Judicial Member and Technical Member in the National Company Law Tribunal, as against vacancy circular dated 12.07.2022. The Advocate requested the MCA to …

Explained | Has the Right to Information been weakened over the years?
1 year, 4 months ago

Explained | Has the Right to Information been weakened over the years?

The Hindu  

For 13 years, the Right to Information Act, 2005, helped citizens obtain information and data from the Government and State institutions that are not readily available in public domain. Amending the RTI Act Apart from allowing certain information to be kept secret for national security and sovereignty reasons, the RTI Act makes one exemption: it prohibits personal data disclosure of …

Telangana HC seeks details on govt steps to appoint information officers
1 year, 6 months ago

Telangana HC seeks details on govt steps to appoint information officers

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday asked the state government to furnish details on steps it has taken to appoint a chief information commissioner and information commissioners to the TS Information Commission, as directed under the RTI Act of 2005. The division bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N. Tukaramji, was dealing with …

RTI Act | Public Information Officer Cannot Challenge Appellate Authority's Order Directing It To Disclose Information: Karnataka High Court
1 year, 8 months ago

RTI Act | Public Information Officer Cannot Challenge Appellate Authority's Order Directing It To Disclose Information: Karnataka High Court

Live Law  

The Karnataka High Court has made it clear that under the Right to Information Act, a Public information Officer has no authority to prefer an appeal against an order passed by the Appellate Authority, directing him to furnish information to an applicant under the Act. A single judge bench of Justice N S Sanjay Gowda has said, “There is no …

Employee's Performance Is "Personal Information" Exempted U/S 8(1)(j) RTI Act: J&K&L High Court
2 years, 2 months ago

Employee's Performance Is "Personal Information" Exempted U/S 8(1)(j) RTI Act: J&K&L High Court

Live Law  

The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court on Saturday reiterated that the "performance of an employee or an officer in an organisation is primarily a matter between the employee and the employer and falls within the meaning of personal information." While the Public Information Officer of KVS on 1 March 2014 declined to provide the information on the ground …

Data | Unfilled vacancies, stagnant workforce delay RTI replies and appeals
2 years, 2 months ago

Data | Unfilled vacancies, stagnant workforce delay RTI replies and appeals

The Hindu  

Data show that the number of information officers and first appellate authorities in the Central government has remained stagnant in the last few years. A report released in October by the Satark Nagrik Sangathan, titled ‘Report Card on the Performance of Information Commissions in India, 2021-22’, states that the number of appeals and complaints pending before the Central and State …

Three lakh and counting: RTI pleas pile up at information commissions
2 years, 2 months ago

Three lakh and counting: RTI pleas pile up at information commissions

The Hindu  

A good 17 years after India got the Right to Information Act, the transparency regime in the country remains a mirage with nearly 3.15 lakh complaints or appeals pending with 26 information commissions across India. 2 completely defunct The report says two out of 29 information commissions across the country are completely defunct, four of them headless at the moment …

Whether Govt Aided Educational Institutions Run By Societies Are Subject To RTI Act? Karnataka HC Asks State Information Commission To Decide
2 years, 4 months ago

Whether Govt Aided Educational Institutions Run By Societies Are Subject To RTI Act? Karnataka HC Asks State Information Commission To Decide

Live Law  

The Karnataka High Court has directed the State Information Commission to decide whether societies and educational institutions run by the societies are subject to Right to Information Act, 2005. The Court was hearing a couple of writ petitions filed by Maland Technical Education Society, seeking to set aside the State Commission's order passed in 2014 which had brought the petitioner …

Kerala State Information Commission has backlog of over 5,000 petitions, reveals RTI query
2 years, 4 months ago

Kerala State Information Commission has backlog of over 5,000 petitions, reveals RTI query

The Hindu  

About 5,280 appeal petitions are pending before the State Information Commission, as per an official reply to information sought under the Right to Information Act for the period between January 1, 2010 and May 31, 2022. The appeals are filed in the Central and State Information Commissions, which act as transparency watchdogs under the Right to Information Act 2005, when …

RTI Application Can’t be Rejected On Mere Third Party Objection, Says MP Information Commission
3 years ago

RTI Application Can’t be Rejected On Mere Third Party Objection, Says MP Information Commission

News 18  

An RTI plea can’t be turned down merely on the basis of a third party objection on the matter, MP State Information Commission said on Thursday. Rejecting the objection of a third party, the Information Commissioner Rahul Singh asked to turn down the appeal and directed the concerned department to offer information to the RTI applicant immediately. However, Mishra then …

Over 32,000 RTI appeals pending with Central Information Commission: Govt.
3 years ago

Over 32,000 RTI appeals pending with Central Information Commission: Govt.

The Hindu  

More than 32,000 RTI appeals are pending with the Central Information Commission, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said there was a pendency of 35,178 and 38,116 RTI appeals during 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively. Mr. Singh said the government has taken several steps like capacity building through training …

Disclosure Of Interest In Information Being Sought Under RTI Act Necessary To Establish Applicant's Bonafide: Delhi High Court
3 years, 11 months ago

Disclosure Of Interest In Information Being Sought Under RTI Act Necessary To Establish Applicant's Bonafide: Delhi High Court

Live Law  

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday observed that whenever information is sought under the 'Right To Information Act, 2005', the disclosure of applicant's interest in the information being sought would be necessary to establish his/her bonafides. The Bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh specifically observed, "This Court is of the opinion that whenever information is sought under the RTI Act, …

Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha is New CIC, 3 Information Commissioners Join Transparency Watchdog
4 years, 2 months ago

Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha is New CIC, 3 Information Commissioners Join Transparency Watchdog

News 18  

New Delhi: Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha was appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner on Saturday, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement. President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office to Sinha as the Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, it said. Later, Sinha administered the oath of office to journalist Uday …

Congress alleges violations in Central Information Commission selection
4 years, 2 months ago

Congress alleges violations in Central Information Commission selection

Hindustan Times  

Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, gave a dissent note earlier this month over the process of selection in the Central Information Commission, alleging that the government violated Supreme Court guidelines in the appointment process, people familiar with the matter said. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury questioned the inclusion of journalist Uday Mahurkar in the list of …

Paralysis In Hearing Of RTI Appeals Without Chiefs & With Increasing Vacancies
4 years, 2 months ago

Paralysis In Hearing Of RTI Appeals Without Chiefs & With Increasing Vacancies

Live Law  

The Right to Information Act has completed its 15 years of truncated existence on 12th October 2020, with several empty Commissions, especially Commissions without 'heads', resulting in high increase in pending appeals and extending period of delay in delivery of decisions. When I was in CIC as one of the ten Commissioners, I had the experience of facing lack of …

Key posts vacant as RTI law completes 15 years
4 years, 2 months ago

Key posts vacant as RTI law completes 15 years

Hindustan Times  

Around one-third of information commissions in India are headless, one-fourth of information commission posts are lying vacant and in Jharkhand and Tripura, the commissions are defunct, two reports on 15 years of the Right To Information law said on Monday. In these 15 years, around 33 million RTI applications were filed with various government departments across the country, said Transparency …

Public Information Officers Who Mechanically Reject RTI Applications Should Be Shown The Doors, Says Madras HC [Read Order]
4 years, 4 months ago

Public Information Officers Who Mechanically Reject RTI Applications Should Be Shown The Doors, Says Madras HC [Read Order]

Live Law  

Public Information Officers who mechanically reject the RTI Applications should be shown the doors as they are unfit to hold the said post, said the Madras High Court recently.Justice S. Vaidyanathan observed thus while dismissing a writ petition filed by Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission which sought to quash an order passed by Tamil Nadu Information Commission directing it to …

KPSC Candidates Can Seek Own Evaluated Answer Scripts Under RTI : Karnataka HC [Read Judgment]
4 years, 4 months ago

KPSC Candidates Can Seek Own Evaluated Answer Scripts Under RTI : Karnataka HC [Read Judgment]

Live Law  

The Karnataka High Court has held that a candidate who has appeared for examination conducted by a public service commission can seek for copies of his own evaluated answer scripts, along with the marks allotted to each question under the Right to Information Act. Justice Suraj Govindaraj while partly allowing the petition filed by Karnataka Public Service Commission challenging the …

Provide Clear, Cogent, Precise & Timely Response To RTI Applications, CIC Tells Department Of Justice [Read Order]
4 years, 5 months ago

Provide Clear, Cogent, Precise & Timely Response To RTI Applications, CIC Tells Department Of Justice [Read Order]

Live Law  

The Central Information Commission has instructed the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice to provide a clear, cogent and precise response to the RTI application.Venkatesh Nayak had filed an RTI seeking photocopy of the request sent by the Government of India to Chief Justices of High Courts for ensuring due consideration to be given to suitable candidates belonging …

SC directs Centre, States to appoint information commissioners in CIC, SICs within 3 months
5 years ago

SC directs Centre, States to appoint information commissioners in CIC, SICs within 3 months

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court on December 16 directed the Centre and States to appoint within three months information commissioners in the Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions and said there was a need to evolve guidelines to stop misuse of the Right to Information Act. A Bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde took note of the submissions of lawyer …

Govt invites applications for positions of CIC, 4 Information Commissioners
5 years ago

Govt invites applications for positions of CIC, 4 Information Commissioners

The Hindu  

The Centre has invited applications for appointment on the post of Chief Information Commissioner and four Information Commissioners in the transparency watchdog CIC, according to a Personnel Ministry order. The RTI Act provides that the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners shall be a person of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, …

Clear pendency of cases, improve training quality: RTI activists appeal to government
5 years, 1 month ago

Clear pendency of cases, improve training quality: RTI activists appeal to government

The Hindu  

As the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government assumes charge, Right to Information activists have put forth a list of their demands to shore up the efficacy of the RTI Act. While former Chief Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has written a letter to the Chief Minister regarding the massive pendency of RTI cases and the need to appoint more information …

RTI Activists Move SC To Implement Directions On Appointment Of Information Commissioners [Read Application]
5 years, 2 months ago

RTI Activists Move SC To Implement Directions On Appointment Of Information Commissioners [Read Application]

Live Law  

An application has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions for the timely and transparent appointment of Chief and Information Commissioners of the Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions in order to secure the fundamental Right to Information and the effective implementation of the Right to Information Act, 2005. On February 15, 2019, the Supreme Court had issued …

RTI Amendments: An Obituary To Independent Information Commission
5 years, 2 months ago

RTI Amendments: An Obituary To Independent Information Commission

Live Law  

The suspense and mystery on the real impact on RTI is now ended. Information Commissioners get less salary than Chief Information Commissioner, which creates hierarchy which was deliberately avoided in original Act. Making Chief IC a subordinate to Govt The Act and Rules of 2019 have the effect of indoctrinating complete subordination into the institution of the information commission, making …

Amendment to RTI Act will compromise autonomy of information commissions, undermine status of commissioners, say ex-officials
5 years, 5 months ago

Amendment to RTI Act will compromise autonomy of information commissions, undermine status of commissioners, say ex-officials

Firstpost  

The Right to Information Bill, 2019 proposes to give the Centre the powers to set the salaries and service conditions of information commissioners at the central and state levels. After the amendment to the RTI Act, the information commissioners will be totally dependent on the government for tenure and salaries, Acharyulu said. Wajahat Habibullah, the first chief information commissioner, claimed …

Two Former CICs Explain How Amendment To RTI Is Breaking Backbone Of Information Commissioners
5 years, 5 months ago

Two Former CICs Explain How Amendment To RTI Is Breaking Backbone Of Information Commissioners

Live Law  

The Union Government's plan to amend the Right to Information Act is mainly to alter the salary structure and tenure of Information Commissioners and weaken all the Information Commissioners and Commissions both at Centre and States. No consultation or debate Ignoring all these suggestions and discussions and report by Parliamentary Standing Committee, the Government says that RTI Act 2005 was …

Lok Sabha passes RTI Amendment Bill: Here is what you need to know
5 years, 5 months ago

Lok Sabha passes RTI Amendment Bill: Here is what you need to know

India TV News  

A bill proposing to give the Centre the power to set the tenure and salaries of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday amid strong objection from the Opposition. Moving the bill, which was tabled in the house on July 19, for passage, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra …

The tremor of unwelcome amendments to the RTI Act
5 years, 5 months ago

The tremor of unwelcome amendments to the RTI Act

The Hindu  

“Amendments” have haunted the Right to Information community ever since the RTI Act came into effect almost 14 years ago. In the form of the Right to Information Bill, 2019, they seek to amend Sections 13, 16, and 27 of the RTI Act which carefully links, and thereby equates, the status of the Central Information Commissioners with the Election Commissioners …

Agenda for new government: Protecting right to information
5 years, 7 months ago

Agenda for new government: Protecting right to information

India Today  

The significance of access to information about the government's functioning can't be over-emphasised. So much so that while hearing the government's "stolen documents" claims in the Rafale case, the Supreme Court made the Attorney General KK Venugopal read out three sections of the RTI Act in the open court - section 22 which overrides the Official Secrets Act ; section …

CIC Directs DoPT to Disclose Names Of IAS Officers Against Whom Prosecution Sanction Has Been Granted/Denied [Read Order]
5 years, 9 months ago

CIC Directs DoPT to Disclose Names Of IAS Officers Against Whom Prosecution Sanction Has Been Granted/Denied [Read Order]

Live Law  

The Central Information Commissioner Divya Prakash Sinha has ordered DoPT to provide the names of IAS officers against whom prosecution sanction has been granted as well as denied for the period starting from year 2010 till date of RTI Application. Lucknow based activist Nutan Thakur has made the application before the commissioner. The Applicant submitted that the information sought is …

CIC appointment needn’t be confined to bureaucrats, says Supreme Court
5 years, 10 months ago

CIC appointment needn’t be confined to bureaucrats, says Supreme Court

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said that the appointment of the Central Information Commissioner and information commissioners at the central and state levels need not be confined to bureaucrats and should be completed within six months. The process should start two months before vacancies come up and if the process for pending vacancies has already started, it should …

SC passes directions calling for transparency for appointment of CIC, ICs
5 years, 10 months ago

SC passes directions calling for transparency for appointment of CIC, ICs

Live Mint  

New Delhi: To ensure transparency in the appointment of the Central Information Commissioner and information commissioners, the Supreme Court on Friday issued certain directions for the process. Sikri and S. Abdul Nazeer held that the process of filling vacancies for CIC’s and information commissioners at the central and state level should be completed within six months. It was further held …

Central Info Commissioner Should Have The Status Of Chief Election Commissioner; Do Not Select Bureaucrats Only For The Post: SC
5 years, 10 months ago

Central Info Commissioner Should Have The Status Of Chief Election Commissioner; Do Not Select Bureaucrats Only For The Post: SC

Live Law  

The Supreme Court today issued a slew of directives regarding the filling up of vacancies in Central and State Information Commissions under Right To Information Act.The key directions passed by the bench of Justices A K Sikri and Abdul Nazeer are :Chief Information Commissioner should have the status of Chief Election CommissionersInformation Commissioners should not be just bureaucrats,. The Supreme …

Appointment Of Information Commissioners: Why Only 'Babus' Shortlisted, SC Asks Govt
5 years, 11 months ago

Appointment Of Information Commissioners: Why Only 'Babus' Shortlisted, SC Asks Govt

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre as to why only retired or sitting bureaucrats were being shortlisted by the search committee for appointment as information commissioners. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and S Abdul Nazeer was told by the government that chief information commissioner and four information commissioners have already been appointed while the process for. …

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