Rti Act

Hema Committee report: Kerala govt has nothing to hide, says state minister

Emphasizing that there is nothing to hide over the Justice Hema Committee report, which exposed the shocking harassment and sexual exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry, Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cherian on Saturday said the government is implementing its recommendations. Addressing the media, he stated that the government had adhered strictly to court directives, omitting only the portions the State Information Commission recommended not to release. The matter is currently before the High Court, and there are no objections if the court or the information commission instructs that these portions be made public, Cherian clarified. He underscored the government's commitment to addressing issues faced by women in cinema, highlighting that this is the first time such a committee has been constituted in India. We have disclosed all information directed by the State Information Commission regarding the report and everything is transparent." The minister further s

From Article 370 to RTI: Justice Sanjiv Khanna's defining judgments

Upon receiving clearance from the Centre, Justice Sanjiv Khanna will assume the role of the 51st Chief Justice of India, serving for six months before retiring on May 13, 2025

Four state information commissions defunct with no commissioners: Report

Four state information commissions, the top appellate bodies in RTI-related matters in states, have been lying defunct with no information commissioners to adjudicate complaints and appeals against public authorities, a report said on Friday. The report by Satark Nagrik Sangathan, a transparency advocacy group, on the eve of the 19th anniversary of the enactment of the Right to Information Act, said the state information commissions in Goa, Jharkhand, Tripura, and Telangana have been without a commissioner. According to the RTI Act, the state and central information commissions have a Chief Information Commissioner and 10 Information Commissioners to adjudicate complaints and appeals filed by citizens if the public authority does not supply information sought by them as per provisions of the law. The report said no information commissioner was appointed in Jharkhand after the completion of the tenure of the last incumbent on May 8, 2020, rendering it completely defunct for more than

1.04 mn motor accident claims worth Rs 80,455 cr pending nationwide: RTI

As many as 10,46,163 motor accident claims worth Rs 80,455 crore are pending across the country and their numbers have increased constantly between 2018-19 and 2022-23, according to an information received through RTI Act. The details have been provided by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) in response to the query filed by Supreme Court advocate K C Jain in April. In his query to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Jain had sought to know the total number of motor accident claims pending in the country with state- and district-wise details. He also sought to know the annual break up of claims instituted, disposed of and remaining during the last five years and the initiatives, if any, taken by the Centre for an early disposal of the motor accident claims. According to IRDAI's information, at the end of the financial years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23, the number of motor accident claims pending was 9,09,166, ...

Violation of law: CIC pulls up EC for not replying to RTI query on EVMs

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has expressed "severe displeasure" over the Election Commission (EC) not furnishing a reply to an RTI plea that had asked the poll panel about the action taken on a "representation" given to it by eminent citizens, raising questions on the credibility of EVMs and VVPAT machines during elections. Terming it a "gross violation" of the law, the CIC has also directed the EC to submit a written explanation. Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer M G Devasahayam, who was one of the signatories to the representation on the credibility of electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) and the vote-counting process, had filed an application with the poll panel under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, seeking details of the action taken on it. The representation was sent to the EC on May 2, 2022. Through the RTI application filed on November 22, 2022, Devasahayam wanted to know about the persons and public .

SBI refuses to disclose details of electoral bonds under RTI Act

The State Bank of India (SBI) has refused to disclose under the RTI Act the details of the electoral bonds furnished to the Election Commission (EC), claiming that it is personal information held in a fiduciary capacity, even though the records are in the public domain on the poll panel's website. Holding that the electoral bonds scheme was "unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary", the Supreme Court directed the SBI on February 15 to furnish the complete details of the bonds purchased since April 12, 2019 to the EC, which would publish the information on its website by March 13. On March 11, the court dismissed the SBI's petition seeking an extension of the deadline and ordered it to disclose the details of the electoral bonds to the EC by the close of business hours on March 12. RTI activist Commodore (retired) Lokesh Batra approached the SBI on March 13 seeking the complete data of the electoral bonds in the digital form, as provided to the EC after the Supreme Court's order.

Delhi HC sets aside order asking CBDT to give info on Ram Mandir Trust

The Delhi High Court has set aside an order of the Central Information Commission directing the Central Board of Direct Taxes to provide information relating to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, looking after the construction and management of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, under the RTI Act. The high court on February 28 allowed the petition by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) challenging the Central Information Commission's (CIC's) November 30, 2022, order. Justice Subramonium Prasad said it is always open for applicant Kailash Chandra Moondra to approach the appropriate authority under the Income Tax Act to seek information as sought in the Right to Information (RTI) application. The high court was dealing with a plea by the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of CBDT seeking quashing of the November 30, 2022, order of the CIC which had directed that the CPIO would revisit certain points made in the application under the RTI Act and provide information within 1

RTI appeals, complaints disposal rate crosses 90% in current fiscal: CIC

The disposal rate of appeals and complaints filed under the RTI Act has crossed 90 per cent so far this fiscal, Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Heeralal Samariya said on Sunday. Samariya, who was sworn in as the CIC on November 6, said this during a meeting with Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh. During an hour-long meeting, Samariya informed the minister that the disposal rate of the Right to Information (RTI) appeals and complaints has, for the first time, crossed 90 per cent in the current financial year, according to a personnel ministry statement. Singh lauded the Central Information Commission for achieving "consistent decline" in pendency with corresponding rise in disposal of the RTI appeals. According to the CIC data available as on November 9, 11,499 RTI appeals and complaints were disposed of, while 12,695 were received, marking a disposal rate of 90.5 per cent, the statement said. In 2022-23, 19,018 appeals were registered, while in 2021-22, 19,

2005 law on RTI will become 'dead letter': SC asks Centre to fill vacancies

Here's a lowdown on the important cases heard in the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court today

Pending cases in SC with govt as party increased to 11,414 in 2023: RTI

The number of cases in which government is a party and that are pending in the Supreme Court have increased from 4536 in 2019 to 11,414 in 2023, according to an RTI response from the law ministry. Replying to the RTI application filed by Pune-based activist Vihar Durve, the ministry said it did not have the data in the form sought by him. Durve had asked from the ministry "complete information year wise from the year 2019 to 2023" about total cases pending in Supreme Court of India where government of India is one of the party. As ascertained from the branch concerned, results based on the search of the party name from the list of parties involved in a case i.e. 'UOI', 'U.O.I', 'Union of India', 'U O I', 'State', 'bank', 'Ministry', 'Govt. of India', 'Government of India', 'Govt of India', the number of cases filed from 2019 to 2023 in which government is a party and still pending in Supreme Court are as follows, the ministry said. Giving the data, it said in the filing year 2019,

Railways earned over Rs 2,800 cr from revised child travel norms in 7 yrs

Indian Railways has earned an additional revenue of more than Rs 2,800 crore from child travellers in the last seven years by revising child travel fare norms, an RTI response has found. The response from the Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act further indicates that the financial year of 2022-23 alone earned Rs 560 crore due to the amended norms making it the most profitable year. CRIS, an organisation under the Ministry of Railways, provides IT solutions in core areas such as ticketing and passengers, freight services, train traffic control and operations, among others. On March 31, 2016, the ministry announced that the railways would charge full adult fare for children of age 5 years and under 12 years if they opted for separate berths or seats in a reserved coach. The revised norm was made applicable from April 21, 2016. Earlier, the railways used to offer separate berths to children between 5 and 12 years while charging only h

Public sector enterprises must ensure transparency, accountability: CIC

Atul Sobti, director general of SCOPE, said that RTI is a citizen-centric act facilitating transparency, ethics, accountability, and empowering citizens

Ensure proper implementation of RTI Act on proactive disclosure of info: SC

The Supreme Court has directed the Central Information Commission and the State Information Commissions to ensure proper implementation of provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005 including on proactive disclosure of information by public authorities. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said public accountability is a crucial feature that governs the relationship between 'duty bearers' and 'right holders'. The top court said power and accountability go hand in hand and noted that while all citizens shall have the 'right to information' under Section 3 of the Act, the co-relative 'duty' in the form of the obligation of public authorities is recognised in Section 4 of the RTI Act. "We direct that the Central Information Commission and the State Information Commissions shall continuously monitor the implementation of the mandate of Section 4 of the Act as also prescribed by the Department of Personnel and Training in its Guidelines and Memorandums issued fr

More than 66% of 1.34 crore NRIs live in Gulf countries: RTI reply

Of the estimated 1.34 crore Non-Resident Indians, more than 66 per cent are in the Gulf countries of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, the External Affairs Ministry has said in an RTI reply. The data is as of March 2022, said the ministry. AnI is an Indian citizen who is ordinarily residing outside India and holds an Indian passport. Nagpur-based banker Abhay Kolarkar said he had sought the data pertaining toIs and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) under Right to Information (RTI) a few months ago and the ministry's reply reached him in the last week of June. In its RTI reply, the ministry said that an estimated 1.34 croreIs live in 210 countries. Of these, 88.8 lakh overseas Indians live in six Gulf nations. While 34.1 lakhIs live in the United Arab Emirates, 25.9 lakh live in Saudi Arabia, followed by 10.2 lakh in Kuwait, 7.4 lakh in Qatar, 7.7 in Oman and 3.2 lakh in Bahrain. Kolarkar said he wanted the data to get a sense of the number ofIs who might be affect

CIC verdict can't be referred to bring political parties under RTI: Centre

An order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) cannot be used to seek a writ from the Supreme Court to bring recognised political parties under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Centre told the apex court on Tuesday. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta made the submission while appearing for the central government before a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which is hearing two PILs seeking a direction to bring political parties under the transparency law. The CIC order cannot be used to seek a writ of mandamus (a judicial order to the government to fulfil official duties) to bring political parties under the RTI, the law officer told the bench, which also comprised Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), represented by lawyer P V Dinesh, said the party has no objection to RTI with regard to ensuring financial transparency. But there cannot be requests (under RTI) on why a candidate has been selecte

Kerala govt launches online portal for RTI application after SC's directive

People in Kerala no longer need to stand in queues to submit applications or send requests by post for information under the transparency law and can have access to it from the comforts of their homes thanks to the state government launching an online RTI portal following a Supreme Court directive. Prior to the launch of the portal on June 19, an application under the transparency law -- the Right to Information Act -- had to be either submitted in person before the concerned department or authority along with the requisite fees or sent by post. This was also necessitated by the fact that an online RTI portal implemented by the state government with the help of the IT Mission earlier was non-functional due to technical difficulties. Therefore, the new portal, developed with the help of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) is expected to make the access to information easier and more transparent. "The payment for the fees on the RTI online portal will be through e-Treasury Portal,"

Over 67,000 trains cancelled in South East Central Zone in 3 years: RTI

Indian Railways cancelled 32,757 trains in 2020, suspended the operations of 32,151 trains in 2021, called off 2,474 trains in 2022, and postponed 208 trains in April 2023

274,000 posts vacant in Railways, over 170,000 in safety category: RTI

More than 2.74 lakh posts in the Railways are lying vacant as of this month, with over 1.7 lakh of them in the safety category alone, the national transporter has said in response to an RTI query. In its reply to the questions filed by Chandra Shekhar Gaur, a Madhya Pradesh-based Right to Information (RTI) Act activist, the Railways said 2,74,580 posts are vacant in Group C category, including Level 1 or entry-level staff. This includes 1,77,924 vacancies in the safety category, it said. "The total number of non-gazetted posts vacant i.e. Group-C (including Level-1) in Indian Railways, as available in this office, as on 01.06.2023 (provisional) is: 2,74,580," the ministry said. On the safety category, it said there are more than 9.82 lakh posts of which over 8.04 lakh are filled. "Total number of sanctioned, on roll and vacant posts in safety category of Group-C (including Level-1) in Indian Railways, as available in this office, as on 01.06.2023 (provisional) are: 9,82,037, 8,04

UP info body warns 'habitual litigant' to not file large number of RTIs

The Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission has warned a "habitual litigant" against filing a large number of RTI applications and appeals, saying the Right to Information Act should not be used as "a tool to harass public authorities". The commission also observed that filing RTI applications in bulk leads to a "clogging of the system" and causes "unnecessary impediment in discharging the regular duties of the PIOs (Public Information Officers)". State Information Commissioner Ajaya Kumar Uprety passed the order while hearing the appeal of Anil Kumar Dubey against Public Information Officer at the office of District Panchayati Raj Officer, Vikas Bhavan, Varanasi, during a camp on May 9. The order was uploaded a few days back on the website of the Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission (UPSIC). During the hearing, it was found the applicant submitted 35 RTI applications with the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj department. "The commission is of the view that the applica

Microsoft's media literacy program aims to tackle online misinformation

People are hungry for accurate and reliable information online and may just need help to find it, according to a new media literacy project launched by Microsoft. The tech company worked with the Trust Project, a nonprofit consortium of news organisations, to create advertisements directing internet users to a list of eight trust indicators that can be used to assess a website's credibility. The indicators include things like the clear labeling of opinion pieces, a code of practices and the attribution of sources. Most people who saw the list expressed greater confidence in their own ability to find reliable news while ferreting out misinformation a promising finding that suggests media literacy can be a cheap and scalable solution to the daunting problem of online misinformation. This was a bit of an experiment for us, said Ginny Badanes, senior director of Microsoft's Democracy Forward Initiative, a unit at the company that focuses on efforts to strengthen democracy and online