State Information Commissions inactive amid Covid-19 lockdown, shows survey

SICs across India either did not respond to phone calls or said they were working with minimal staff members and remained unsure about resuming hearings

Even as India continues to be gripped by the threat posed by the Covid-19 epidemic, all but one of its 29 Information Commissions — established under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) — have gone inactive, reveal findings of a rapid survey conducted by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI).

While the Central Information Commission (CIC) resumed hearings in appeal and complaint cases from April 20, its counterparts in states remain non-functional amid the ongoing coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown.

The survey is based on telephonic calls made by CHRI to SICs and also includes conversations with a State Information Commissioner, local