Ph. D. Scholar GNLUPh. D. Scholar GNLUKALPESHKUMAR L GUPTAKALPESHKUMAR L GUPTA

UGC Sponsored National Seminar on Evaluating the Six and Half Decades of the Constitution of India and the Changing Roles of the Constitutional InstitutionsOctober 22-23, 2016

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Information Commissions have become the biggest threat to the transparency movement.

Shri Shailesh GandhiFormer Central Information Commissioner, New Delhi

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Outline of the presentation

1.Introduction2.Legal Provisions3.Some Leading Orders4.Recent Scenario5.Conclusion &

Recommendations6.Q & A

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Outline of the presentation

1.Introduction2.Legal Provisions3.Some Leading Orders4.Recent Scenario5.Conclusion &

Recommendations6.Q & A

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Introduction

- Right to Information is enshrined under Article 19(1)(a) of Constitution of India

- RTI Act, 2005 passed on June 15, 2015 and came into force October 12, 2005

- Objectives are - to bring the transparency and accountability in the

governance and - setting up of Central Information Commission & State

Information Commission

- 1.75 crore RTI applications filed since 2005 : Study*

- 4800 applications are filled everyday *

* http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/1-75-crore-rti-applications-filed-since-2005-study/articleshow/54705694.cms

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ApplicationSection 6

1st AppealSection 19

2nd AppealSection 19

Complaint (Section 18)

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Outline of the presentation

1.Introduction2.Legal Provisions3.Some Leading Orders4.Recent Scenario5.Conclusion &

Recommendations6.Q & A

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Legal Provisions

- Central Govt. constituted the Central Information Commission under Section 12

- State Govt. constituted the State Information Commission under Section 15

- There will be one Chief Information Commissioner and other Information Commissioners not exceeding 10.

- Term is for 5 years

- Not eligible for reappointment

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Section 12 Section 15

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Outline of the presentation

1.Introduction2.Legal Provisions3.Some Leading Orders4.Recent Scenario5.Conclusion &

Recommendations6.Q & A

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Some Leading Orders

- CBSE & Ors v/s. Aditya Bandopadhyay (SC 2011)- Answer Sheet case

- Secretary General, SC of India v/s. Subhash Chandra Agrawal, Delhi HC, 2010)

- Judges Asset Case

- Subhash Chandra Aggarwal & Anil Bairwal v/s. INC, BJP,CPM, CPI, NCP, BSP, Central Information Commission, 2013

- Political Parties

- BCCI- Not Public Authority as per CIC Decision 2011- Justice Lodha Committee submitted report to SC for taking

control of BCCI.

- O P Gandhi v/s. Tihar Jail (CIC, September 27, 2016)- Tihar Jail Compensation case

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Some Leading Orders

There are various other orders in which information commission decided matters on following issues.

Whether an organization is a public authority or not?

Whether matter is in public interest or not?

Striking the balance between private information and public information

Whether information is held under fiduciary relationship or not?

And finally matter relating to non reply of application, aggrieved from reply etc.

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Outline of the presentation

1.Introduction2.Legal Provisions3.Some Leading Orders4.Recent Scenario5.Conclusion &

Recommendations6.Q & A

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Recent Scenario

- Vacancies- Backlog of cases- Penalty- Compensation- RTI Monitoring & Reporting- Efficiency of Information Commission

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15Source :- Times of India, October 10, 2014

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“Government agencies are trying to avoid true information one way or another, they are misinterpreting the questions knowingly and very skilfully and sometimes state information commission is also favouring and protecting them as head of organization and commissioners are IAS officers”

Yash Dave

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“As far Gujarat is concerned, I have no words to criticize or blame. Here, commissioners are agents of government and are reluctant to impose penalty enough and to direct the govt. to initiate inquiries against defaulting PIOs. Please keep category in bad survey”

Natvarlal Acharya

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“Number of appeals rotting in Karnataka State Information Commission. The useless Information Commissioner sitting there are not interested in disposing of any of the cases filed and I do not know why they are there and what for the Government is paying them”

Hanglur Srinivas Varma

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Outline of the presentation

1.Introduction2.Legal Provisions3.Some Leading Orders4.Recent Scenario5.Conclusion &

Recommendations6.Q & A

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Conclusion

- Performance of Information Commissions is not encouraging.- Thousands are appeals/complaints are pending across the

India- In the recent global RTI ranking India slipped to 4th rank.

Earlier it was at 2nd Rank

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Conclusion

Ranking Country1 Mexico

2 Serbia

3 Slovenia

4 India5 Croatia

6 Liberia

7 El Salvador

8 Sierra Leone

9 Sri Lanka

10 Tunisia

http://www.rti-rating.org/

2016 Rankings

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Recommendations

- RTI application/appeal format standardization- Various payment option for RTI application fees- Benches of commissions to be established as per need- Video conferencing facility to be installed in the office of

Information Commissions- Vacancies to be filled up- Proper training to PIO/Appellate Authority so that they can

handle the case effectively- Robust centralised online application/appeal mechanism to be

set up- Helpline centre for RTI application/appeal- SMS alert for case hearing- Intensive campaign for RTI awareness as per Section 26

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Click on State RTI Portal

Click on District

Click on PA/FC

Online RTI Application Flow

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Information Commissioners in his individual capacity

Recommendations

Ratnakar GaikwadMaharashtra State Chief Information

Commissioner

March 2014 heard 759 appeals

Shailesh GandhiFormer Central

Information Commissioner

Prof M SridharCentral Information

Commissioner

Paperless office

In 97% cases on the spot decision

Remarkable/Quality Orders

Timely Case Disposal

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Outline of the presentation

1.Introduction2.Legal Provisions3.Some Leading Orders4.Recent Scenario5.Conclusion &

Recommendations6.Q & A

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Any question ?

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http://indianexpress.com/article/politics/cic-congress-rti-political-parties-donations-2865089/, PTI, New Delhi, June 20, 2016

“CIC may have its head soon”, The Hindu, New Delhi May 10, 2015 retrieved from http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cic-may-have-its-head-soon/article7190317.ece

Dhawan Himanshi (2014), “RTI backlog burden: Waiting period 60 years in MP, 17 in West Bengal”, The Times of India, TNN, October 10, 2014, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/RTI-backlog-burden-Waiting-period-60-years-in-MP-17-in-West-Bengal/articleshow/44766766.cms

Mehta Manthan, “ CIC fines babus in less than 1% cases”, The Times of India, October 15, 2011 retrieved from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/CIC-fines-babus-in-less-than-1-cases/articleshow/10359854.cms on October 5, 2016

http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/blog/trends-from-the-cics-annual-report-for-201415-rti-applications-decline-cic-imposes-fewer-penalties retrieved from October 5, 2016

Retrieved from http://www.livelaw.in/public-authoritiesstate-must-compensate-victims-extra-detention-violates-right-life-cic/ on October 9, 2016

Biswas Partha Sarathi (2016), “Defying RTI, 25 public authorities fail to submit annual returns to Maharashtra SIC”, The Indian Express, October 17, 2016 retrieved from http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/defying-rti-25-public-authorities-fail-to-submit-annual-returns-to-maharashtra-sic-3086561/ on October 17, 2016

Pallavi (2012), “Selection of RTI Commissioners flawed, arbitrary: Shailesh Gandhi” retrieved from http://www.firstpost.com/india/selection-of-rti-commissioners-flawed-arbitrary-shailesh-gandhi-367915.html

--- (2015) “Transparency In Appointments Of Commissioners Is Answer To RTI Woes” retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.in/shailesh-gandhi-/transparency-in-appointme_b_8283448.html on October 13, 2016

References :-

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Yadav Shyamlal (2015). “You can’t use RTI to light up every corner: Chief Information Commissioner Vijai Sharma”, The Indian Express, December 22, 2015 retrieved from http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/you-cant-use-rti-to-light-up-every-corner-chief-information-commissioner-vijai-sharma/ on October 10, 2016

Office Memorandum No. 1/1/2013-IR, Dated April 22, 2013 available at http://ccis.nic.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02rti/1_1_2013-IR-D.pdf accessed on December 17, 2013

Making the Right to Information a Reality , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDv77HMA7Og retrieved from October 5, 2016

Shukla Ashutosh (2014), “Maharashtra Information Chief Ratnakar Gaikawad hears 759 appeals in March, a record for one month”, DNA, April 30, 2014 retrieved from http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-maharashtra-information-chief-ratnakar-gaikwad-hears-759-appeals-in-march-a-record-for-one-month-1983486 on October 4, 2016

References :-

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Kalpeshkumar L Guptaadvocatekgupta@gmail.com

www.klgupta.in 30