A commissioner for the state Information Commission’s Belagavi bench has not been appointed by the government, which has made the situation worse. Commission for more than a year, which caused a backlog of more than 14,000 cases in just that division. A different bench, which was established in Kalaburagi to give the people of Kalyana Karnataka easy access, has been operating from Bengaluru, forcing residents of the area to travel great distances to the capital to submit appeals and attend hearings.
Source: Insights IAS
After departmental RTI officers have rejected an applicant’s request for information, cases are brought to these benches as appeals. The information commissioner has the authority to force these officers to produce the requested information and to impose fines or jail terms if they disobey such orders.
Therefore, the prolonged appeals process undermines the goal of RTI and encourages dishonest authorities because they are allowed to operate without consequence. Why was the appointment of the Belagavi bench commissioner delayed in the first place? The administration asserts that it is currently in the last phases of the process.
In the case of Kalaburagi, the administration claims it was unable to locate a suitable structure to host the office of the information commissioner, leading to the choice to move it to Bengaluru. This must change. The Supreme Court had ruled in 2019 and again in 2021 that states could face action for taking too long to fill such vacancies, and by postponing the appointment, the government is in violation of that ruling by violating its orders.
Source: Factly
In the case of Karnataka, the court had explicitly noted the ongoing issue about the commission’s inability to obtain people and suitable facilities.
The Belagavi bench commissioner position should be filled as soon as possible now that a new government is in place. Similar to this, it makes little sense for the Kalaburagi bench to operate out of Bengaluru. The district office should be able to use it right away. In order to make seats available to everyone, especially the poor, the government should install them in other areas of the state as well.
The RTI Act was designed to be a potent tool in the hands of the average person to keep politicians and bureaucrats accountable. Any action that weakens the Right to Information, whether directly or indirectly, must be viewed as an attempt to undermine it.
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