Will dispose of RTI cases faster: CIC.

Times o India: New Delhi: Saturday, May 20, 2017.

The Central Information Commission will bring down pendency and ensure that orders are delivered expeditiously, chief information commissioner R K Mathur said on Friday.

He said the Commission hoped to dispose of all appeals of 2015 by September this year and those of 2016 by the end of the year.

At present, the Commission has 26,719 RTI Act-related cases pending. The announcement came during a seminar on the implementation of the RTI Act in the country. At present, besides the chief information commissioner, there are eight information commissioners, which is two short of full capacity. The CIC adjudicates on issues related to the RTI Act ranging from timely disposal of cases to complaints of incorrect interpretation of the law by processing officers.

Addressing a seminar, Mathur said the commission has raised the issue of vacancies and training of staff with the department of personnel and training, the nodal agency. Venkatesh Nayak of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative highlighted conflicting decisions by high courts on matters related to the RTI Act which made its implementation difficult.