On an average, the Pune bench sees disposal of over 400 cases in a month. (Representational Image)
Thousands of appeals are pending before the Pune and Nashik benches of the State Information Commissions. Of the 35,037 pending appeals in the state by the end of May, 8,393 and 8,783 are pending before the Pune and Nashik benches, respectively.
One of the major reasons behind the backlog is that the post of State Information Commissioner at the Nashik bench has been vacant for 13 months. The Pune State Information Commissioner, Ravindra Jadhav, holds dual charges of both State Information Commissions.
Second appeals are filed by citizens who are dissatisfied by the response of government officials to their first RTI appeals.
Currently, the Nagpur State Information Commissioner’s post is also vacant, with the Aurangabad SIC holding additional charge. The post of the chief state information commissioner was vacant for over a year, till the appointment of Sumeet Mallick in January this year.
The delays in appointment of SICs have seen second appeals pile up across the state, and the increased pendency of cases, in turn, leads to an inordinate delay in hearings. In Pune, applicants sometimes have to wait for as long as one-and-a half-years for their turn before the SIC bench. Currently, the SIC Pune is hearing cases that were filed in 2015.
However, delays in hearings often discourages people about the very process of seeking information through the Right To Information (RTI) Act, which is reflected in the falling number of RTI applications in the state.
The 11th annual report of the SIC had noted a dip in the number of RTI applications received in the state. As compared to the 8,68,818 applications received under the Act in 2015, only 6,84,289 applications were received at the various government offices in the state in 2016.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, SIC officials said the high pendency was mainly due to the Pune SIC holding dual charge for almost a year. “This means the State Information Commissioner had to travel and hear cases in both cities, which takes up a lot of time and effort…,” said an officer.
Ravindra Jadhav, the Pune SIC, said the State Information Commissions were trying their best to reduce the pendency of cases. “We are trying to dispose of as many cases per month as are filed,” he said.
On an average, the Pune bench sees disposal of over 400 cases in a month.
Citizens’ groups, meanwhile, have sought special camps to speed up the disposal of cases. The SICs, however, are not very keen on the idea as, they say, applicants are often not satisfied with the resolutions offered in such camps.
The high levels of pendency had prompted the SIC’s annual report to recommend formation of extra benches in Pune and Mumbai, but the government is yet to take a decision on the issue.