2 state commissions defunct, CIC without chief commissioner, says report on RTI

AS the redress To info (RTI) move completes 20 years on oct 12 this twelvemonth, a report on performance of information commissions shows that two of them, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh, are defunct while three, Central Information Commission (CIC) and that of Andhra and Chhattisgarh, are without the chief commissioner.The Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS) has compiled a report on the performance of information commissions across the country based on information accessed under the RTI Act, according to a statement by the non-government organisation.While Himachal is the Congress ruled state, which enacted the RTI Act in 2005, the party is in alliance in Jharkhand, where Hemant Soren leads the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government.Telangana, Goa, Tripura and Madhya Pradesh have, however, appointed information commissioners during the study period of July 1, 2024 and October 2, 2025, thus making the information commissions functional, the report said.The report added that it was for the 7th time in 11 years that the CIC, which hears all RTI appeals against the Central government and its public sector undertakings, was without a head. Of the ten information commissioners, eight positions are lying vacant in the CIC and a case is being heard in the Supreme Court to fill these vacancies.Under the RTI Act, the information commissions consist of a chief information commissioner and up to 10 information commissioners.Also Read: Ecostani: RTI faces its toughest period as it completes 20 yearsThe report said that several information commissions were found to be functioning at reduced capacity. The Chhattisgarh state information commission (SIC) is functioning with a single commissioner and the SICs of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Bihar have only two commissioners.Not filling the posts has resulted in pendency of appeals and complaints.According to the report, 2,41,751 appeals and complaints were registered between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 with the 27 information commissions, which already had 4,13,972 pending appeals. During this period, these commissions disposed of 1,82,165 cases.Going by the time taken to dispose of the appeals, the report said that Telangana SIC will take an estimated 29 years and 2 months to dispose of an appeal filed on July 1, 2025. Tripura SIC will take an estimated 23 years, Chhattisgarh SIC 11 years and Madhya Pradesh SIC seven years.Even though section 25 of the RTI Act obligates each commission to table a report on implementation of the law in the state legislature, the report found that 69% of the information commissions did not publish their annual report for 2023-24.Anjali Bhardwaj, RTI activist, who has filed the petition in the Supreme Court on vacant posts in information commissions, said two decades after the RTI Act was implemented, experience in India suggests that the functioning of information commissions is a major bottleneck in the effective implementation of the law.“Large backlogs of appeals and complaints in many commissions across the country have resulted in inordinate delays in disposal of cases, which render the law ineffective. One of the primary reasons for the backlogs is the failure of central and state governments to take timely action to appoint information commissions to the Central Information Commission and state information commissions, respectively,” she said.