Skip to main content

Central Information Commission has "no information" on pendency of cases before January 1, 2013

By Our Representative
In reply to a right to information (RTI) query, the Central Information Commission (CIC) – which India’s highest body to hear appeals to RTI applications to the Government of India and other Central authorities – has said that a whopping 24,326 cases were pending to be cleared by before it “as on October 2013”. The reply, sent to an RTI applicant, Kalpeshkumar Gupta of the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad, interestingly, said that “before January 1, 2013, pendency of cases was not maintained by the CIC.” Gupta had demanded “appeals pending for years” before it.
The only other information available about the appeals and complaints, separately, before the CIC, said the reply, is between October 12, 2005 and January 1, 2006 – the number of registered cases before it was 703, while the number of disposals was 682 during the period. The reply said, “The RTI Act came in force as on October 12, 2005.” It added, “Neither appeals nor complaints before October 2005 were filed with the commission.”
In fact, the reply clarifies, “The commission does not compile statistics separately for appeals and complaints.” Hence, it pointed out, information is not maintained by the CIC in the format requested by the applicant in the format he wanted – year and month-wise details of opening balance of appeals and complaints, the appeals and complaints admitted, those that have been disposed of, and the closing balance.
The reply also said that it did not have any information about year-wise compensation awarded under section 19(8)(b) of the RTI Act, 2005, which provides for compensating the applicant for delay in providing information. Nor did it have any information about year-wise details of disciplinary action initiated under Section 20(2) of the RTI Act, under which disciplinary action has provided for in case the public information officer deliberately hides information with a mala fide intention. “Information is not maintained by the CIC”, the reply says.
As regards imposition of penalty, the reply says, “the progressive figure of cases, as on February 19, 2013, was 864, in which penalty has been imposed. The total amount of penalty imposed since 2007-08 is Rs 1.62 crore, out of which Rs 98.40 lakh has been recovered so far.”
At the same time, it clarifies, “The commission does not maintain year-wise data in this regard. In certain cases, the PIOs have preferred for waiver and stay on penalty amount. Although in some cases the commission has been made a party, there are many instances where the commission is not made a party.”
To the query “what is the procedure for allocation of appeal and complaint cases”, the reply says, “Appeals and complaints ascertaining from the responses of the Central PIOs/ appellate authorities of the public authorities are allocated among the information commissioners in accordance with the ministry/ department/ public authority-wise; work allocation is decided by the chief information commissioner under section 12(4) of the RTI Act.”

In yet another reply to the question regarding “staff details of all levels, ie information commissioner to peon”, the CIC’s IPO says that out of the sanctioned staff of one chief information commissioner and 10 information commissioners, six posts of information commissioners are vacant. As for the rest of the staff, as against the sanctioned staff of 160, there is a vacancy of 20. 

Comments

Unknown said…
People in glasshouses should not throw stones ! Does CIC have any moral right to order CPIOs to disclose information if it does not have basic info itself. Make a strong first appeal. Also appeal against something called "Nodal CPIO". There is no such designation as per RTI Act. Only the CPIO can provide information under his own signature.
Please read: http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/116643-nodal-cpio-cic-illegal.html

TRENDING

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra*  The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam*  The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk  As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah*   One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”

Savarkar 'opposed' Bhagat Singh's, Netaji's dream of India, supported British war efforts

By Shamsul Islam* In a shocking development, the student wing of the RSS put the busts of martyrs Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose with Savarkar's on one pedestal at the University of Delhi late in the night on August 20, 2019. Bhagat Singh sacrificed his life for a socialist-democratic-secular republic and Netaji raised Azad Hind Fauj (INA) consisting of people of all religions and regions for armed liberation of India.