RTI activist flags multi-crore answer book tender scam at RCU : Ravindra Uppar

Times of India: Belagavi: Saturday, 10^Th January 2026

Rani Channamma University (RCU), Belagavi, is facing allegations of a multi-crore scam in the procurement of examination answer booklets. RTI activist Dattatraya Kulkarni submitted a detailed complaint to the chief secretary of the Karnataka govt, accusing the university of manipulating tender conditions, violating procurement and GST norms, and causing huge financial losses to the state exchequer.
The complaint pertains to a tender issued for a biannual rate contract to supply theory and practical examination answer books. Kulkarni alleged that the tender was deliberately designed to favour a pre-identified bidder by inserting restrictive and illegal conditions, thereby eliminating fair competition.
According to the complaint, earlier tenders floated by the university were open to bidders from across India, resulting in competitive pricing. However, in the latest tender, RCU allegedly made GST registration in Karnataka mandatory, effectively barring bidders registered in other states. Kulkarni argued that this condition violates GST rules, which allow businesses registered in 1 state to operate nationwide, and also contravenes the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act and Supreme Court rulings that prohibit region-based restrictions in public tenders.
The tender also allegedly disqualified proprietary and partnership firms, a move Kulkarni claimed was aimed solely at restricting competition and was contrary to the provisions of the KTPP Act.
A major allegation concerns the mandatory ‘dandy watermark' with the university logo on the answer book paper. Kulkarni alleged that the university did not provide authorisation letters from the paper mill to most bidders, which are essential for obtaining such watermark paper. As a result, only the previous supplier, who allegedly had prior access and an understanding with the university, was able to submit compliant samples and qualify for the technical and financial bids.
The complaint also highlights abnormal price escalation. While universities such as Kuvempu and Haveri awarded contracts at Rs 12 - Rs 15 for 40 pages of answer sheets, RCU allegedly raised its estimates sharply to Rs 23 for 36 pages and Rs 21 for 32 pages. In comparison, recent tenders at Tumkur University reportedly went for as low as Rs 9 for 36 pages, and Mandya University Rs 12.50 for 32 pages.
Another serious charge relates to GST evasion. Kulkarni alleged that the university accepted and cleared invoices without GST, wrongly showing the supply as exempt. He maintained that printing of answer books constitutes the supply of goods and cannot be exempt from GST. He further alleged that the tender was wrongly classified under ‘services' to evade GST, causing losses running into crores of rupees.
TOI tried to approach the RCU vice-chancellor Prof CM Thyagaraja multiple times over the phone, but he did not respond.

Centre’s depts stonewalling RTI query on deported Bangladeshis, says Maharashtra Congress

Times of India: Mumbai: Saturday, 10^Th January 2026
The Congress has alleged that departments of the central govt have passed the buck on providing details of detained and deported illegal Bangladeshi immigrants under the RTI Act. It said ruling party leaders made false allegations for political gain without any data available with the govt.

In Mumbai, AICC secretary and Congress spokesperson in Maharashtra Sachin Sawant alleged that the Union home ministry had no information available on how many Bangladeshis were caught in Mumbai over the last three years and how many were deported.
Sawant shared the RTI reply details with the media on Friday and stated that, through an associate, they filed the RTI application online, addressed to the ministry of home affairs, and the reply stated that the information was not available with the foreign division and citizenship wing of the ministry of home affairs and may pertain to the bureau of immigration, New Delhi, and the same was transferred to the concerned department.
In the RTI application, the applicant sought the total number of Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals detained for illegally staying in Mumbai in the past three years, and how many of them were deported, along with other related information.
Sawant stated that the govt undermined the RTI law, and the very ministry responsible for this subject said that the information was not available, and the RTI application was passed from one department to another.
In the recent past, many senior BJP leaders and ministers alleged that many illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya were staying in Mumbai, posing a security threat, but they did not provide any govt data to support their allegations.
Sawant alleged, "BJP repeatedly raising the issue of Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants in every election to create religious polarisation. Since the BMC elections began, BJP leaders Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Amit Satam once again tried to rake up Hindu–Muslim divisions. The question of how many Bangladeshis were caught in Mumbai over the last three years and how many were deported exposed the BJP's conspiracy through replies received under the RTI from the Union home ministry."

Fatehabad youth attacked for filing RTI query, 4 booked

 Times of India: Chandigarh: Saturday, 10^Th January 2026
A youth was allegedly attacked in Tohana area of Fatehabad district after he sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding documents submitted by a woman sarpanch at the time of her nomination. The police have registered a criminal case against four persons, including the sarpanch's brother, and initiated an investigation.
According to the Tohana Sadar police, a case was registered on the complaint of Praveendar of Purna Majra village. The accused have been identified as Lala, brother of the woman sarpanch, and three of his associates. The case was registered under various provisions of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

In his complaint, Praveendar stated that he had a mobile phone shop on Tohana Railway Road. On Jan 6, when he was returning home in his SUV after closing his shop, four youths in a car allegedly blocked his way on Simbal Road.
He alleged that the accused, carrying wooden rods, got out of the vehicle. Fearing an attack, he managed to drive back towards the city via Railway Road. However, near the Girls' School street, the accused allegedly rammed their vehicle into his car from behind, breaking a window.
Praveendar further alleged that he drove to Saini Mohalla, where the attackers threatened to kill him before fleeing the spot. He identified one of the attackers as Lala, brother of the current village sarpanch Kanta Devi.
The complainant claimed that he had sought information under the RTI Act regarding alleged forged documents used by the sarpanch during the election process. He also stated that a court case related to the matter was currently pending against the sarpanch's family. The police said further investigation in the present case was underway.

Govt ducks IMF's 'C' grade criticism in stunning RTI stonewall: No answers, no fixes : Ashok Upadhyay

 India Today: New Delhi: Saturday, 10^Th January 2026
On the estimation of GDP and Gross Value Added (GVA) for the unorganised sector, MoSPI said it follows methodologies outlined in official documents released in 2012 and 2015, both available in the public domain.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) gave India a ‘C’ grade
for its national accounts statistics.

A reply obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by India Today from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) shows that the government has not explained why the International Monetary Fund (IMF) gave India a ‘C’ grade for its national accounts statistics.
Instead, the ministry referred to publicly available IMF documents and existing statistical manuals.
RTI SEEKS CLARITY ON IMF GRADING
The RTI application asked MoSPI to respond to four key issues: the IMF’s evaluation of India’s GDP data quality, the method used to estimate output in the unorganised sector, the assumptions behind quarterly GDP estimates, and the progress of the ongoing GDP base-year revision.
NO CLEAR EXPLANATION OF IMF ASSESSMENT
When asked to explain the IMF’s assessment, MoSPI’s National Accounts Division did not highlight any specific shortcomings or concerns raised by the IMF. The ministry merely cited the IMF Staff Report from the 2025 Article IV Consultation, without summarising its findings or stating the government’s position.
As a result, the RTI reply does not clarify which aspects of India’s national accounts framework led to the ‘C’ grade.
UNORGANISED SECTOR ESTIMATED REMAIN UNCHANGED
On the estimation of GDP and Gross Value Added (GVA) for the unorganised sector, MoSPI said it follows methodologies outlined in official documents released in 2012 and 2015, both available in the public domain.
However, the response does not indicate whether any internal review was undertaken to assess the reliability of these estimates after major economic disruptions such as demonetisation, the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), and the Covid-19 pandemic, periods during which data availability for the informal economy was widely believed to have been disrupted.
QUARTERLY GDP BASED ON EXTRAPOLATION
The ministry confirmed that quarterly GDP estimates are prepared using the benchmark-indicator method. Under this approach, data for a quarter is extrapolated from the same quarter of the previous year using sector-specific indicators.
While the ministry acknowledged that data inputs are drawn from various government departments and private agencies, it did not disclose the assumptions used to bridge data gaps, nor did it specify steps taken to improve the robustness of high-frequency economic data.
NEW GDP SERIES TO BE RELEASED IN FEBRUARY 2026
On the long-awaited GDP base-year revision, MoSPI said FY 2022–23 has been chosen as the new base year, with revised national accounts scheduled for release on February 27, 2026.
The ministry has also published two discussion papers outlining proposed methodological changes under the production, income and expenditure approaches.
An Advisory Committee on National Account Statistics (ACNAS), chaired by economist BN Goldar, has been set up to guide improvements and the use of new data sources.
However, the RTI reply does not explain how the revised GDP series will specifically address concerns around unorganised sector estimation or respond to the IMF’s assessment of India’s data quality.

Digital Personal Data Protection Act does not ‘dilute’ RTI Act, A-G says in opinion

The Hindu: New Delhi: Saturday, 10^Th January 2026
Civil society groups have argued that the Act’s amendment of Section 8(1)(j), turning a partial exemption for government bodies to turn over “personal” information into a total exemption, undermined transparency. The Centre notified the RTI amendment in November 2025, even as other parts of the DPDP Act were given a 12-18 month implementation timeline.

Attorney-General for India R. Venkataramani said in a written opinion that the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 did not “dilute” the Right to Information Act, 2005, a government source said.
Civil society groups and transparency advocates have argued that the Act’s amendment of Section 8(1)(j), turning a partial exemption for government bodies to turn over “personal” information into a total exemption, undermined transparency.
However, Mr. Venkataramani said that a different part of the RTI Act, which had not been amended, would allow government bodies to disclose such personal information in response to RTI requests. “Section 8(2) of the RTI Act, 2005 mandates disclosure of exempted information whenever public interest outweighs harm,” the opinion said. Mr. Venkataramani declined to confirm authorship of the opinion when contacted by The Hindu, saying he did not respond to media queries.
‘Balance between privacy and transparency’
“There is no dilution of accountability and transparency due to [the] DPDP Act. It only provides a legal framework to ensure balance between privacy and transparency, as mandated by the Supreme Court in the Puttaswamy case judgment.”
The Union government, which notified the RTI amendment in November 2025, even as other parts of the DPDP Act were given a 12-18 month implementation timeline, has made a similar argument. Section 8(1) of the RTI Act lists out exemptions where “there shall be no obligation to give any citizen” information in response to a request.
The earlier language of Section 8(1)(j) exempted from providing “information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual unless the Central Public Information Officer or the State Public Information Officer or the appellate authority, as the case may be, is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information,” with a proviso that information that cannot be denied to Parliament cannot be denied to citizens.
That proviso, along with all words after “personal information,” were deleted, elicited strong condemnation from transparency activists, who had for years pushed back against the amendment’s implementation.

RTI in Crisis: Citizen Petitions President Mahama to Dissolve Information Commission Board Over “Systemic Failure” : By Stephen Armah Quaye

Modern Ghana: Ghana: Friday, January 9^Th, 2026.
In a democracy built on openness and accountability, silence from institutions mandated to speak for the people can be more dangerous than outright repression. That is the central warning contained in a strongly worded petition submitted to President John Dramani Mahama, calling for the immediate dissolution of the Governing Board of Ghana’s Right to Information Commission (RTIC) over what the petitioner describes as “persistent non-performance, abuse of discretion, and the erosion of constitutional rights.”

The petition, filed by Mr. Theophilus Ken Dorman, on December 4, 2025 and received on behalf of the president by Mrs. Vida Larbi, on January 6, 2026, invokes the 1992 Constitution and the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), and paints a troubling picture of an institution accused of abandoning its core mandate to protect and enforce the public’s right to access information held by public bodies.
According to the petition, the RTIC has consistently failed to enforce its own lawful orders, despite clear powers granted under Sections 44, 45, 46, and 82 of Act 989. These provisions empower the Commission to compel disclosure, sanction non-compliant institutions, and ensure timely administrative justice. Yet, the petitioner alleges that public institutions routinely defy RTIC directives without consequence, rendering the law “toothless” and public agitation meaningless.
Beyond non-performance, the petition raises constitutional concerns. Under Articles 23 and 296 of the Constitution, administrative bodies are required to act fairly, reasonably, and without arbitrariness. The RTIC’s alleged refusal to act, even when armed with statutory authority, is described as an abuse and misuse of discretionary power a failure that, according to the petition, undermines due process and weakens public faith in administrative justice.
At the heart of the complaint is the constitutional right to information itself. The petitioner argues that the Commission’s inaction has directly enabled the unlawful denial of this right, not only to him but to other citizens seeking transparency. This failure, the petition states, constitutes a fundamental human rights violation and encourages a culture of impunity across public institutions.
The issue, however, goes beyond individual grievances. The petition asserts that the RTIC has suffered a significant loss of public trust and credibility. “A regulatory body that cannot enforce its own orders cannot be trusted to protect public rights,” the petition notes, arguing that the Commission has been reduced to a powerless institution incapable of confronting entrenched secrecy.
Allegations of administrative incompetence also feature prominently. The petitioner cites persistent delays, weak leadership, absence of effective enforcement mechanisms, and a general lack of urgency in resolving complaints. These shortcomings, he argues, amount to gross negligence and justify the dissolution of the current board.
Perhaps most concerning is the accusation that the Commission’s failures are indirectly enabling corruption and secrecy. By allowing public institutions to ignore lawful RTI orders without sanction, the RTIC is said to be facilitating abuse of power and shielding wrongdoing from public scrutiny, the very outcomes the RTI Act was enacted to prevent.
The petition cites specific unresolved cases, including Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative versus the Ghana Police Service, Perfect Vision Initiatives versus the National Signals Bureau, and the Royal Ampong Family versus the Central Regional House of Chiefs, as examples where RTIC orders allegedly remain unenforced.
In his prayer to the President, Mr. Dorman calls for three decisive actions thus, the dissolution of the current RTIC Governing Board, the reconstitution of a new board composed of individuals with proven integrity and commitment to transparency, and an independent administrative review into the Commission’s enforcement failures.

GSIC bars revenue dept clerk from filing more than one RTI plea a year

Times of India: Ahmedabad: Friday, January 9^Th, 2026.
The CGHS case involved discrepancies over a prescribed drug, while the DJB official was fined ₹10,000 for evasive replies and missing statutory timelines.

The Gujarat State Information Commission (GSIC) has barred a senior clerk in the revenue department from filing more than one Right to Information (RTI) application a year after he allegedly submitted 380 applications over three years and approached the Gujarat high court multiple times over the same salary-related dispute.
The commission held that the officer had "repeatedly misused the RTI" by filing "voluminous and repetitive pleas" on identical issues, placing an undue administrative burden on public authorities.
The order was passed by State Chief Information Commissioner Dr Subhash Soni following a hearing held on Dec 19 last month, at the commission's Gandhinagar office. Apart from the RTI applications, the officer also filed multiple first and second appeals on the same subject.
According to the commission, the applications pertained to service-related matters such as pay protection and linking of past services, issues that had already been examined and decided by the finance department on several occasions. Despite receiving detailed replies repeatedly, the officer continued to file fresh applications, the order noted.
"The records show that the complainant filed a total of 46 RTI applications on the same subject and, in addition, more than 380 general applications during the last three years," the order said, adding that such conduct amounted to misuse of the RTI Act.
The commission observed that the large volume of applications filed by a single individual had led to disproportionate use of public authority resources, thereby attracting the provisions of Section 7(9) of the RTI Act.
"Due to a large number of applications filed by a single individual on the same issue, a situation has arisen where public authority resources are being disproportionately utilised," the commission stated. The GSIC also rejected the officer's demand for a refund of Rs 14 paid as copying fees, noting that certified copies of the requested information had already been supplied.
The commission further recorded that the officer had approached the Gujarat high court five times on the same issue but was denied relief in all cases.
Invoking Section 7(9) of the RTI Act, the commission imposed restrictions on future filings. "The complainant is hereby directed not to file more than one application per year under the RTI Act on matters relating to service linkage or pay protection," the GSIC order stated.
Public information officers were directed to strictly implement the decision and reject any application exceeding the permitted limit, while informing the applicant through a simple communication. The commission said the restriction was necessary to prevent abuse of the law and to ensure that genuine RTI applicants are not deprived of timely access to information.

CIC issues show-cause to CGHS official, fines DJB officer over RTI lapses : By Vrinda Tulsian

Hindustan Times: New Delhi: Friday, January 9^Th, 2026.
The CGHS case involved discrepancies over a prescribed drug, while the DJB official was fined ₹10,000 for evasive replies and missing statutory timelines.

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has issued a show-cause notice to a Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) official and imposed a monetary penalty on a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official in two separate cases linked to the handling of applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
In the first matter, information commissioner Jaya Varma Sinha initiated action against a CGHS official after finding inconsistencies in submissions made before the commission regarding supply of a prescribed medicine to a beneficiary. The case arose from an RTI application, filed by a CGHS beneficiary, who claimed that a medicine prescribed by a government doctor reached the CGHS Wellness Centre at Patparganj but was not issued to the patient.
The order said, “It is pertinent to mention that the commission has observed discrepancy in the submissions made by the respondent regarding non-receipt of medicine LAMITOR OD 100 MG.”
The commission recorded that the official attempted to equate a generic medicine with the sustained-release drug prescribed by the specialist. The order said the official was “trying to mislead the bench” by calling both the medicines same.
The commission held that the senior CMO-cum-APIO “not only misled the commission but also vitiated the proceedings of the hearing.”
The order directed the official to show cause as to why “maximum penalty under Section 20(1) of the RTI Act may not be imposed” and why disciplinary action should not be recommended under Section 20(2) of the law.
In addition, the commission directed CGHS authorities to review several RTI queries and provide records after applying the severability clause under Section 10 of the RTI Act, which allows partial disclosure of records after removing exempt portions.
In a separate order, chief information commissioner Raj Kumar Goyal imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on a public information officer of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) for failing to provide information sought under the RTI Act within the prescribed time.
The commission noted that the RTI application was filed in October 2022, but a response addressing the queries was provided in September 2024. The delay, the commission said, continued until its intervention.
The order observed that “information in the form of a proper reply” was given nearly two years after the application was filed.
“The reason for the delay in providing the information has nowhere been explained,” the commission said.
The RTI application was filed by Vijay Kumar Verma, who had sought details related to water bill payments and raised concerns over the calculation of consumption units and applicable rates.
The commission noted that earlier responses sent to the applicant did not address the queries and were “evasive”.
After examining the record, the commission held that the conduct amounted to a violation of the law governing access to information. It imposed a penalty of ₹10,000 on the official, directing that the amount be paid in two instalments by February 27, 2026.
The two cases, the commission noted, highlighted failures by public authorities to comply with timelines and disclosure obligations under the RTI Act.

File Affidavit Saying Covid Vaccine Funding Data 'Not Available': CIC To DPIIT

ETV Bharat: New Delhi: Thursday, 8^Th January 2026.
The commission said the affidavit was necessary to place the department's claim of non-availability of information on record before disposing of the appeal.

The Central Information Commission has directed the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade to file an affidavit that information about government funding extended to Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers during the pandemic was "not available" with it.
The direction was issued while hearing a Right to Information (RTI) appeal filed by Mahavir Singh Sharma, who had sought details of thousands of crores of rupees released by the Union government to the Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech for the production of Covid-19 vaccines in 2020 and 2021. In its reply to the RTI application, DPIIT said the information sought was not held by its logistics division.
"With reference to your RTI application on the subject cited above, the requisite information sought is not available with the logistics division, DPIIT. Therefore, the requisite information may be treated as 'NIL'," the department had stated. The First Appellate Authority later upheld this response.
In its order, Information Commissioner Khushwant Singh Sethi noted that the logistics division had clearly informed the applicant about the non-availability of the information. However, the commission directed the public authority to formally affirm its stand through an affidavit.
"The respondent is directed to file an affidavit to the commission with a categorical statement that the sought information in the RTI application dated October 6, 2023, is not available with their public authority," the CIC said.
While observing that the reply given by DPIIT was appropriate, the commission said the affidavit was necessary to place the department's claim of non-availability of information on record before disposing of the appeal. It directed DPIIT to submit the affidavit within 15 days, both by post and by uploading it on the CIC's compliance portal, with a copy also to be served to the appellant (Sharma).
In his RTI application, Sharma had sought the information, "The amount of Rs 4,500 crore, which was released by the Government of India without bank guarantee to Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech during Covid, has been returned to the Government of India along with interest, or both institutes delivered the vaccine doses in lieu of the amount taken from the government."
He also asked for the information showing that the "Government of India had received all the doses of the vaccines taken from Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech to fight Covid-19 Pandemic," details of vaccines sent abroad "with the permission of the Government of India," and "the complete details of the amount received by both the institutes in exchange for the vaccines from abroad."
The applicant further asked whether "all Indian citizens were administered Covishield and Covaxin vaccines or some Indian citizens were left out," the "total amount spent by the Government of India on the purchase of Covaxin and Covishield," and whether any other Covid-19 vaccines were purchased for Indian citizens.
During the hearing, DPIIT officials maintained that the information was not held by their division and that the RTI application had originally been filed with another department (Department of Biotechnology) before being transferred to them.

हाईकोर्ट ने कहा- RTI में मांगी सूचना सार्वजनिक हित में नहीं, तो निजी मानी जाएगी

ETV Bharat: Allahabad: Thursday, 8^Th January 2026.
इलाहाबाद हाईकोर्ट ने कहा, सूचना का अधिकार अधिनियम के तहत मांगी गई सूचना यदि सार्वजनिक हित में नहीं है, तो उसे निजी सूचना माना जाएगा.

इलाहाबाद हाई कोर्ट ने कहा है कि सूचना का अधिकार अधिनियम के तहत मांगी गई सूचना यदि सार्वजनिक हित में नहीं है, तो उसे निजी सूचना माना जाएगा. कोर्ट ने,सुप्रीम कोर्ट के फैसले का हवाला देते हुए कहा कि यदि मांगी गई जानकारी का किसी सार्वजनिक गतिविधि या हित से कोई संबंध नहीं है, तो उसे व्यक्तिगत जानकारी माना जाएगा.
राज्य सूचना आयोग के समक्ष अपील दायर: ऐसे में सूचना के अधिकार अधिनियम के तहत उसके खुलासे पर रोक रहेगी. यह आदेश न्यायमूर्ति अरुण कुमार ने मित्रसेन कुमार सिंह की याचिका पर दिया. मऊ निवासी याची मित्रसेन कुमार सिंह ने आरटीआई के माध्यम से ग्राम पंचायत परसुपुर मुबारकपुर, मऊ के परिवार रजिस्टर में ''प्रदुम्न'' नामक व्यक्ति का नाम दर्ज किए जाने से संबंधित जानकारी मांगी थी. इसके बाद राज्य सूचना आयोग के समक्ष अपील दायर की.
हाईकोर्ट ने सूचना आयोग के फैसले को बरकरार रखा: आयोग ने सुप्रीम कोर्ट के गिरीश राम चंद देश पांडेय मामले का हवाला देते हुए कहा कि मांगी गई जानकारी व्यक्तिगत जानकारी से संबंधित है और 19 सितंबर 2024 के आदेश से अपील खारिज कर दी. याची ने इस आदेश को हाईकोर्ट में चुनौती दी. कोर्ट ने पक्षों को सुनने के बाद राज्य सूचना आयोग के फैसले को बरकरार रखा.
कोर्ट ने कहा कि याची यह साबित करने में विफल रहा कि मांगी गई जानकारी का किसी भी सार्वजनिक गतिविधि या जनहित से क्या संबंध है. हाईकोर्ट ने याचिका को खारिज कर दिया.
(Click here to Download Judgment)

4,000 RTI Complaints Cleared in a Year as Pune Bench Cuts Pending Cases by 37% : Ankur Nikam

The Bridge Chronicle: Pune: Thursday, 8^Th January 2026.
Maharashtra State Information Commission Records Faster Case Disposal in 2025, Ensuring Quicker Justice for Citizens

The Pune bench of the Maharashtra State Information Commission shows a strong improvement in the disposal of cases under the Right to Information (RTI) Act in 2025.
Compared to 2024, the commission handled complaints and second appeals more efficiently, reducing long-standing backlogs and speeding up access to information for citizens across Maharashtra.
In 2024, more than 4,000 RTI complaints were pending with the Pune bench by the end of the year, while only a small number were resolved. This changed sharply in 2025.
During the year, the bench disposed of over 4,000 complaints, bringing the number of pending cases down to 906 by December 2025. This marked a 28% rise in the complaint disposal rate and eased the burden of accumulated cases.
The commission also made steady progress in handling second appeals. While over 10,000 appeals were decided in 2024, nearly 9,000 were resolved in 2025. As a result, the number of pending second appeals dropped from more than 9,000 at the end of 2024 to around 5,800 by December 2025, a reduction of 37%.
Officials noted that the pace of disposal increased notably between August and October 2025, helping the bench gain control over older pending matters. Improved classification of cases, disciplined hearings, and a strict, time-bound schedule played a key role in this progress.
State Information Commissioner Makrand Ranade said the commission’s focus remains on ensuring that citizens receive timely justice under the RTI Act. He added that the Pune bench is committed to maintaining efficiency so that the right to information is upheld without unnecessary delay.

Coimbatore Corporation’s proposal to create pedestrian facilities remains on paper : RTI

The Hindu: Bhubaneswar: Thursday, 8^Th January 2026.
The Coimbatore Corporation’s proposal to create pedestrian facilities across the city has not progressed beyond the planning stage, even as the lack of footpaths and safe crossing points continues to pose challenges on major roads.

The civic body had planned to construct a foot overbridge at
Gandhipuram town bus stand. | Photo Credit: file photo

The scale of the issue is reflected in road safety data. Information obtained from the police under the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows that pedestrians accounted for 37% of road traffic accident fatalities reported in the first 10 months of 2025 in Coimbatore.
Over the past year, the civic body announced a series of measures aimed at improving pedestrian movement. These included proposals to construct three-foot overbridges (FOBs), a street improvement plan to facilitate safer movement for school and college students, and a budget announcement to implement non-motorised transport systems at select locations in the city.
The three FOBs were proposed at the Gandhipuram town bus stand, Ukkadam bus stand, and Lakshmi Junction on Avinashi Road. Each structure was planned under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode at an estimated cost of ₹8 crore.
As part of the Safe Streets for School and College Students initiative, the Corporation proposed student-oriented infrastructure along routes with a high concentration of educational institutions. Trichy Road and Kamarajar Road in Ramanathapuram were identified for the pilot phase. The project, covering a stretch of 2.5 km and estimated to cost ₹2.5 crore, aims to improve walking and cycling facilities and regulate traffic. The area was selected due to the presence of nine educational institutions and the availability of roadside space for redesign.
However, none of these initiatives have been taken up for execution, so far.
District Road Safety Committee member K. Kathirmathiyon said there was no stretch in the city with continuous pedestrian infrastructure. He said crossings on major roads continued to be difficult for those on foot. Opposing the PPP model for FOBs, he said allowing advertisements on such structures went against road safety norms and that notices had been issued to the authorities on the matter. He added that such projects should be fully funded by the government.
Responding to the concerns, Corporation Commissioner M. Sivaguru Prabakaran said proposals for the FOBs had been submitted to the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) and were awaiting approval. He said private players had expressed interest and the projects would be taken up once approvals were received, adding that the PPP model reduced the financial burden on the government.
On the Safe Streets initiative, he said the project was being implemented as a pilot and that the detailed project report was nearing completion. He also said the Corporation was planning to develop continuous footpaths covering about 31 km across the city and that a consultant would be appointed to study the proposal.

Bribery allegations: OIC directs cops to probe RTI applicant

Times of India: Bhubaneswar: Thursday, 8^Th January 2026.
The Odisha Information Commission (OIC) directed police authorities to investigate a habitual RTI applicant facing bribery allegations. The OIC wrote to the Director General of Police, Odisha, seeking an appropriate probe into the matter.

According to the commission, it recently received a complaint along with a video clip in which an RTI applicant, Tankadhar Sahu of Balangir district, was allegedly seen demanding money from a public information officer (PIO) in exchange for withdrawing an RTI-related complaint.
After examining records, the commission found that Sahu filed hundreds of RTI applications against various govt departments, many of which are currently at different stages of hearing before the commission.
The commission said further verification indicated that the applicant frequently stays in Bhubaneswar and allegedly demands bribes from PIOs and first appellate authorities who appear for hearings before the Odisha Information Commission. It was also alleged that he sought adjournments during hearings and later withdrew cases after receiving illegal benefits.
“The matter was placed before the full bench of the commission, which decided to forward the case, along with the video clip and related materials, to police authorities for investigation. The commission also decided to keep all cases filed by the applicant in abeyance until the police investigation is completed,” the commission said.
The commission directed all PIOs and first appellate authorities to identify other instances of alleged misuse of the Right to Information Act, 2005. The commission said it would take strong action against misuse of the RTI Act.

Andhra has enforced a 75% local employment norm for private industries since 2019, RTI reply shows

The South First: Hyderabad: Thursday, 8^Th January 2026.
The Industries Department said that the TDP-led NDA government has not diluted or amended the policy and that it continues to serve as the basis for enforcing local employment norms across industries.

Andhra Pradesh has mandated since October 2019 that private industries operating in the State employ at least 75 percent eligible local candidates, an RTI reply has shown. G.O.Ms. No. 21, issued by the then YSRCP government, continues to be the governing policy and has not been diluted or amended by the present TDP-led NDA government, according to the Industries Department.
Andhra Pradesh has required private industries operating in the State to ensure that 75 percent of their workforce consists of eligible local candidates since October 2019, according to information furnished by the Industries Department under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The RTI application was filed by Kannada activist activist Gautham Ganesh, who sought details on government policies, legal provisions, enforcement mechanisms and incentives aimed at promoting employment for local and Telugu-speaking people in private industries across Andhra Pradesh.
In its reply, the Department said that G.O.Ms. No. 21, issued on 14 October 2019 by the then YSRCP government, remains the principal policy instrument governing local employment in private industries.
Notably, it added that the TDP-led NDA government has not diluted or amended the order and that it continues to serve as the basis for enforcing local employment norms across industries.
The reply does not mention any separate reservation quotas specifically for Telugu-speaking populations, indicating that eligibility is governed by the definition of “local candidate” under the existing rules.
The Department said that a district-level committee headed by the respective District Collector has been constituted to oversee the implementation of the local employment norms.
The committee is tasked with monitoring compliance and enforcing the provisions of G.O.Ms. No. 21, ensuring that private industries adhere to the mandated 75 percent local employment requirement.
While the RTI application included references to employment for Telugu-speaking people, the official response confines itself strictly to “local employment” as defined under the 2019 Government Order.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)

CIC Advocates transparency in sports bodies, 2036 Olympics ambition

NDTV: New Delhi: Wednesday, 7^Th January 2026.
Information related to sports federations and associations recognised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports should be proactively disclosed on the ministry's website to ensure transparency and accountability, the CIC has directed.

Information related to sports federations and associations recognised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports should be proactively disclosed on the ministry's website to ensure transparency and accountability, the CIC has directed. Underlining the country's aspirations to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, Information Commissioner P R Ramesh said transparent functioning of sports bodies will strengthen India's sporting ecosystem manifold.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) made the observation while hearing a Right to Information (RTI) petition by Sacheen Gandhi seeking details of the recognition status of various sports federations like All India Carrom Federation, Kho-kho Federation of India, Amateur Kabbadi Federation of India, Squash Rackets Federation of India and Softball Association of India.
While holding that the ministry had provided an appropriate reply under the RTI Act, the CIC emphasised that proactive disclosure of such information would reduce citizens' dependence on RTI applications for accessing basic and vital details.
"As India aspires to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, marking a huge step in the country's rise as a sports superpower, the transparent functioning of sports bodies will strengthen India's sporting ecosystem manifold," Ramesh said.
Referring to Section 4 of the RTI Act, the Commission said every public authority must make constant efforts to place maximum information in the public domain through various means, including the internet.
"Voluntary disclosure of all information that ought to be displayed in the public domain should be the rule and members of the public seeking information through RTI application should be an exception," it observed.
The CIC noted that an open government, which is the core objective of the RTI Act, can be realised only when public authorities comply with proactive disclosure norms and update their websites at regular intervals.
Advising the sports ministry to ensure regular updates on recognised sports federations and associations, the Commission said such disclosures would enhance transparency, disseminate correct information and also obviate the need for filing RTI applications on matters of public importance.
The appeal was disposed of with no further action, though the Commission advised the ministry to proactively disclose information related to recognised sports bodies going forward.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

‘Habitual RTI applicant took bribes from officials to withdraw applications’: Odisha Information Commission approaches police : Written by Sujit Bisoyi

The Indian Express: Article: Wednesday, 7^Th January 2026.
He has filed hundreds of RTI applications at various departments, which are being adjudicated in different stages, officials said

His method for allegedly extracting money from PIOs included requesting the commission for adjournment of cases during hearings, and after receiving the bribe, he would withdraw the cases, said the official.
An alleged demand for a bribe to withdraw applications filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has put an activist in the dock, with the Odisha Information Commission asking police to probe the matter.
The commission’s Registrar has written a letter to Odisha’s Director General of Police, asking for an inquiry to be conducted into the alleged bribe demand by “habitual RTI applicant” Tankadhar Sahu, who is based in Balangir.
As per the commission, it received a complaint last week, along with a video clip, wherein Sahu was allegedly seen demanding a bribe from public information officers (PIOs) for withdrawing his RTI applications.
On scrutiny of records, it was seen that Sahu had filed hundreds of RTI applications at various departments, which are being adjudicated in different stages, officials said. He had started camping in Bhubaneswar and regularly demanded bribes from PIOs and first appellate authorities, who visited the Commission’s office for hearings, a senior officer at the Information Commission’s office alleged.
His method for allegedly extracting money from PIOs included requesting the commission for adjournment of cases during hearings, and after receiving the bribe, he would withdraw the cases, said the official.
“The matter was brought before the full Bench of the commission, where it was decided to refer the matter to police authorities along with the video clip as evidence,” read a note by the Registrar.
According to the Registrar, the commission has also decided to keep all of Sahu’s cases pending till the police inquiry is completed. The commission further directed all PIOs and first appellate authorities to keep his cases pending and to identify other such cases where RTI Act provisions were misused.
Police sources said that as directed by the commission, a formal complaint would be lodged soon and a probe would be initiated into the allegations.
Sahu couldn’t be contacted for a comment on the matter.

Punjab RTI activist, journalists move HC for quashing of helicopter use FIR

Times of India: Chandigarh: Tuesday, 6^Th January 2026.
Four individuals, including an RTI activist and journalists, knocked on the doors of the Punjab and Haryana high court, seeking the quashing of an FIR registered against them for allegedly spreading misinformation over the use of the Punjab chief minister's official helicopter.

In their petition before the HC, they challenged FIR No 67 registered at the cybercrime police station, Ludhiana. The FIR invoked Sections 353(1), 353(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), provisions related to public mischief, promotion of disharmony and criminal conspiracy.
According to the petitioners, the FIR stemmed from a social media post by Manik Goyal, a law student and RTI activist, who raised questions about the movement of a helicopter allotted to the CM on Dec 8, when the CM was on a visit to Japan. Goyal relied on publicly accessible flight-tracking data from an app (internet platform) and questioned who used the helicopter during the CM's absence.
The issue gained traction after journalists Baljinder Singh alias Mintu Gurusaria, Maninderjeet Singh, and Mandeep Singh Makkar reported on the matter and discussed the lack of official clarification regarding the helicopter's use. The petitioners maintained that their actions were part of legitimate journalistic inquiry and public-interest reporting.
The FIR was registered on a complaint by police inspector Satbir Singh, and did not cite any private complainant. While the FIR acknowledged the helicopter flew on the stated date and was used by a constitutional functionary, it did not disclose the identity of the person or the purpose of the flights.
In their plea, the petitioners argued that raising questions on the use of public resources and sharing publicly available information was protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, which guaranteed freedom of speech and expression. They alleged that the FIR was "mala fide" and intended to intimidate journalists and suppress dissent.
The petition also pointed to earlier RTI applications filed by Goyal in 2024 seeking details of govt expenditure on aircraft, which were denied citing security exemptions. Despite appeals, no information was furnished, prompting the reliance on open-source data, the plea stated. The matter is expected to be taken up before the high court next week. The petitioners also sought a stay on further proceedings during the pendency of the case.

Why is transparency underfunded?

The Island.lk: Sri Lanka: Tuesday, 6^Th January 2026.

The RTI Commission has now confirmed what many suspected although the RTI Act grants it independence to recruit staff, this authority is rendered toothless because the Treasury controls the purse strings. The Commission is left operating with inadequate manpower, limiting its institutional growth even as it struggles to meet rising public demand for information.
This raises an uncomfortable question: if the Treasury can repeatedly allocate billions to loss-making State-Owned Enterprises some of which continue to hemorrhage public funds without reform why is adequate funding for the RTI Commission treated as optional?
Strengthening transparency is not a luxury. It is the foundation of good governance. Every rupee spent on effective oversight helps prevent many more rupees being wasted through inefficiency, misuse, or opaque decision-making.
In such a context, can one really fault those who argue that restricting the Commission’s resources conveniently limits disclosures that may prove politically inconvenient? Whether deliberate or not, the outcome is the same: weaker accountability, reduced public scrutiny, and a system where opacity is easier than openness.
If the government is serious about reform, it must start by funding the institutions that keep it honest. Investing in RTI is not an expense it is a safeguard for the public purse and the public trust.

DPDP Rules: Strengthening Privacy or Enabling Surveillance? - Prabir Purkayastha

News Click: National: Tuesday, 6^Th January 2026.
We might have got rid of the Sanchar Sathi app on our phones, but surveillance by other means will continue under the DPDP Act and its Rules.

After a gap of 2½ years, we now have certain sections of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, backed by the Rules, ready for immediate implementation. While the State’s powers to surveil citizens come into effect immediately, the sections that protect citizens' privacy against big data companies and the state (or correct/delete incorrect data) have to wait another 18 months. Some data protection indeed!
The long journey that started with the privacy judgement eight years ago the landmark Puttuswamy Judgement has now resulted in codifying via the DPDP Act and now the Rules, not the privacy rights of citizens, but the unfettered rights of the State to monitor the digital footsteps of its citizens.
The digital space is no longer one we access only on our computers. The use of mobile phones, particularly with the rapid decline in their cost, means even those who do not really know about the internet now use it extensively via Google-YouTube (Google), Facebook-Insta-WhatsApp (Meta) for entertainment or to communicate with others.
A survey by the National Statistical Office shows that more than 90% of Indian households have access to smartphones and the internet within the household/home. Therefore, digital privacy is no longer a concern only of a small, middle-class elite but of every user of any digital device mobile or computer that can connect to the internet and, therefore, can be tracked and have its communications monitored.
The primary objective of any Data Protection Act, and therefore of the rules, should be to protect the users’ fundamental rights, which, after the Supreme Court’s Puttuswamy Judgement, also includes the right to privacy. To capture freedom and its limitation pithily: your freedom to swing your fist stops where my nose begins. It is from this simple principle that the concept of a private space has been derived and extended to a wide range of other matters, such as marriage and various personal choices.
The Puttuswamy Judgement further extended the concept of physical space, the basis of privacy, to digital space as well. However, whether in the physical or digital sphere, privacy is not absolute; the State can monitor its citizens, but any such surveillance must be necessary, proportionate, and use the least intrusive option, with strong safeguards.
Once the Puttaswamy Judgement established that privacy, including digital privacy, is a fundamental right, and that any invasion of our digital space can only be done through lawful means. What the DPDP Rules have done is to provide the government with a virtually blank cheque to surveil citizens in the digital space. Under the Rules, it can ask any digital platform, including telecom companies, to provide data on any user.
Akhil Yadav writes in Article 14 that the DPDP Rules create “a new digital regime that hobbles the very rights meant to protect citizens, to the State’s advantage.” Instead of a robust regime protecting citizens' digital rights, we have one that facilitates the State’s monitoring of citizens in digital space.
The second set of rights concerns users' rights against the misuse of their data by the Act's data fiduciaries: telecom companies that provide internet services, as well as multinational platforms like Google and Meta. If the data of these companies is held abroad, they could argue that since their servers are in the US (or Ireland), any such access has to comply with the host country’s laws as well. This is why the government had earlier asked for data localisation, requiring that Indian data be held in India.
However, the Rules notified appear to have left the data localisation issue open, meaning major players, such as Google and Facebook, hold the data of their Indian users abroad in “trusted countries”. If data is held abroad, it becomes more difficult for Indian users to enforce their digital rights against global giants like Google and Meta.
The DPDP Rules also do not protect journalists. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation provides a specific journalistic exception (Article 85) that exempts journalistic activities from specific data protection requirements to safeguard press freedom. The earlier versions (2019 to 2021) of the DPDP Act had this specific exception, which no longer exists in the current version of the Act or the Rules.
The Editors' Guild, in its Statement dated November 19, had stated that in July 2025, the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had held a meeting with press bodies and assured them that such journalistic work would not fall within the purview of the DPDP Act. “However, there has been no official response since then, and the notified Rules do not alleviate these concerns...The Editors Guild urges Meity to urgently issue a clear and categorical clarification exempting bona fide journalistic activity from the consent and processing requirements of the Act. In the absence of such clarity, confusion and over-compliance will weaken press freedom and obstruct the media’s essential role in a democratic society...The Guild reiterates that data protection and privacy are vital objectives, but they must be balanced with the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and the public’s right to know.”
For journalists, the RTI Act has been a major forensic tool to track corruption. The government has now created a loophole that effectively defangs RTI for journalists or any citizen to trace corruption and misuse of government funds, by creating a privacy exception: any data the government wants to deny can be withheld under this provision.
The last nail in the coffin of citizens’ privacy is what the Rules prescribe for the Privacy Appellate Authority. The Ministry will choose the Appellate Authority and has limited powers, unlike, for example, the TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India).
As Aakriti Bansal writes in Medianama, “DPDP Act gives the Board adjudicatory powers with narrow boundaries. It can receive complaints, examine breach reports, call for information, issue directions, and impose penalties. It cannot write subordinate legislation, define technical standards, or run public consultations.” Effectively, it is a subordinate body to the Ministry with minimal latitude, with not even its own budget.
We might have got rid of the Sanchar Sathi, the app on our phones that would constantly monitor our activities, but surveillance by other means, though not of the same order, will continue under the DPDP Act and its Rules. The fight for our digital rights is very much a part of our larger struggle for safeguarding our constitutional rights against the authoritarian structure that the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government wants to create.