Too few information commissioners, RTI queries piling up: Arappor Iyakkam
"As of September 2024, more than 48,000 second appeals are pending with the State Information Commission. The cause lists for February 2025 shows that cases from 2021 and 2022 are still being heard in February 2025," he said.
Arappor Iyakkam convenor Jayaram Venkatesan
CHENNAI: Citing inordinate delay in getting information under the RTI Act, Arappor Iyakkam, an anti-graft organisation, has urged the state government to increase the number of information commissioners by four and fill two existing vacant information commissioner posts.
In a petition to chief secretary N Muruganandam, Finance minister Thangam Thennarasu and other senior officials, Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of Arappor Iyakkam, pointed out there is a huge delay in the hearing for second appeals by the Information Commission.
"As of September 2024, more than 48,000 second appeals are pending with the State Information Commission. The cause lists for February 2025 shows that cases from 2021 and 2022 are still being heard in February 2025," he said.
Saying that the Information Commission has sanctioned the posts of one CIC and six information commissioners, the petition pointed out that two information commissioner posts have been vacant for more than a year.
He added that of the cases heard and judgments passed in December 2024, 8 pc of the appellants faced a delay of three years or more, 47 pc of the appellants faced a delay of two to three years, 33 pc of the appellants faced a delay of one to two years. Only 11 pc of the appellants are heard within a year of filing a second appeal.
"In January 2025, 7 pc of the appellants faced a delay of three years or more, 45 pc faced a delay between two and three years, 38 pc faced a delay between one and two years. Only 10 pc of the appellants are heard within a year of filing a second appeal," he explained.
Also, while the SIC heard 13,966 second appeals between January and September 2024, penalty has been imposed only in 21 cases, compensation in 96 cases and disciplinary action in 15 cases.
"Currently there are only five information commissioners, including the CIC, and each commissioner is hearing on average 200 to 250 cases per month, which boils down to just 10 cases a working day. While high court judges are able to hear 50 to 100 cases per day and also write and deliver judgments, why can't information commissioners do the same? It shows a huge lack of commitment on the part of information commissioners," Venkatesan alleged.
