MP Information Commission summons Kuno cheetah project director in RTI cases

The Times of India: Bhopal: Thursday, 30 July 2026.

The Madhya Pradesh State Information Commission has summoned Kuno Cheetah Project Director Uttam Sharma in three Right to Information (RTI) cases after hearing complaints alleging denial of information related to the ambitious cheetah reintroduction programme.
State Information Commissioner Rajesh Bhatt heard four complaints on Thursday filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, who alleged that the forest department had wrongly denied information by invoking exemptions under the RTI Act and, in some cases, sought excessive fees for providing records.
The information sought included permissions granted for tranquilising cheetahs in 2024, blood test reports, post-operative and post-mortem reports of cheetahs, details of minerals used in construction works inside Kuno National Park, permissions granted for documentaries under the cheetah project, and information on doctors and facilities at the cheetah hospital.
According to the complaint, the forest department denied several requests by citing Sections 8(1)(a) and 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, relating to national security and personal information, respectively.
During the hearing, Dubey submitted documents alleging that Sharma had violated provisions of the RTI Act between 2024 and 2026 by acting as both the Public Information Officer (PIO) and the First Appellate Authority in the same matters, and passing orders in both capacities.
Dubey urged the Commission to initiate penalty proceedings, order a departmental inquiry against Sharma and award compensation, alleging repeated violations of the RTI Act despite it being in force for over two decades.

Supreme Court Stays Delhi High Court Verdict Declaring NSE A 'Public Authority' Under RTI Act : By - Sukriti Mishra

Law Beat: New Delhi: Thursday, 30 July 2026.

Supreme Court stayed the Delhi High Court judgment declaring the National Stock Exchange a public authority under the RTI Act and revived the interim stay on the CIC's 2007 order

The Supreme Court stayed the Delhi High Court's ruling declaring the National Stock Exchange a public authority under the RTI Act and revived the interim stay on the Central Information Commission's 2007 order pending further hearing.
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Delhi High Court's July 1 judgment declaring the National Stock Exchange (NSE) a "public authority" under the Right to Information Act, 2005, reviving the interim stay on the Central Information Commission's (CIC) 2007 order that had brought the stock exchange within the ambit of the transparency law.
The Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice on an appeal filed by the NSE and directed that the interim stay on the operation of the CIC's June 7, 2007 order shall continue until further orders.
The Court also extended the interim protection that had remained in force during the pendency of the proceedings before the Delhi High Court.
Appearing for the NSE, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the exchange is a private company and cannot be treated as a "public authority" merely because it is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
Mehta submitted that nearly 40% of the shareholding is domestic, while 27% is held by foreign investors, underscoring its private character.
Referring to Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, he argued that the NSE was neither established nor constituted by the Government nor created under any law enacted by Parliament.
"I am a company... kindly see the definition of public authority," Mehta submitted.
He further contended that the issue was covered by the Supreme Court's decision in Thalappalam Service Cooperative Bank Ltd., which interpreted the scope of "public authority" under the RTI Act.
Court Observations During the hearing, Justice Vikram Nath remarked: "These are days of transparency."
When Mehta responded that the NSE already discloses substantial information on its website, the Bench observed: "Still, it is not going to stand for very long anyhow."
Following the submissions, the Court issued notice and stayed the operation of the Delhi High Court's judgment pending further consideration.
Background:
The dispute traces back to June 7, 2007, when the Central Information Commission (CIC) held that the NSE is a "public authority" under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, observing that it performs significant public functions in the securities market and is subject to deep and pervasive governmental control.
The NSE challenged the CIC's order before the Delhi High Court, contending that it was incorporated as a private company on November 27, 1992, and though recognised as a stock exchange by SEBI, it was neither established nor constituted by the Government.
On April 15, 2010, a Single Judge upheld the CIC's decision.
The NSE's appeal was dismissed on July 1, 2026, when a Division Bench affirmed that the exchange qualifies as an "authority" within the meaning of the first part of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act.
The High Court held that it was unnecessary to examine whether the NSE also qualified as an "institution of self-government", observing that it was already covered by the statutory definition of an "authority."
The Division Bench further ruled that a stock exchange cannot legally function without governmental recognition and that the recognition granted by SEBI is deemed to be an order of the Central Government, as SEBI exercises delegated powers under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act.
Rejecting the NSE's reliance on Delhi Stock Exchange v. K.C. Sharma, the High Court held that the finding regarding deep and pervasive governmental control was based on the statutory framework governing stock exchanges and applied equally to the NSE.
With the Supreme Court's latest order, the operation of the Delhi High Court's judgment has been stayed, and the interim stay against the CIC's 2007 order declaring the NSE a public authority under the RTI Act will continue until further orders.
Case Title: National Stock Exchange of India Limited v. Central Information Commission
Bench: Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta

Punjab info panel summons Amritsar municipal commissioner, fines PIO Rs 25,000

Times of India: Chandigarh: Thursday, 30 July 2026.

The Punjab State Information Commission has directed the commissioner of the Amritsar municipal corporation to appear before it and submit a compliance report, while imposing a Rs 25,000 penalty on the public information officer (PIO) for repeatedly ignoring its directions in an RTI case.
Information commissioner Harpreet Singh Sandhu passed the order while hearing an appeal filed by an Amritsar resident seeking information under the RTI Act.
The commission noted that the PIO failed to appear before it in five consecutive hearings between Aug 2025 and Jun 2026, despite repeated directions. It also said the municipal commissioner had failed to submit a compliance report as directed, delaying adjudication of the appeal.
Observing that the respondent authority had "virtually made a mockery" of the RTI Act, the commission said the repeated non-compliance undermined transparency and accountability.
The commission also noted that despite a show-cause notice issued in Dec 2025, the PIO neither explained the non-compliance nor furnished the information sought. It ordered recovery of the Rs 25,000 penalty from the PIO's salary and directed the municipal commissioner to appear before it on the next hearing on Sept 21.

Can’t withhold routine administrative information under RTI: Madras High Court - Written by: Vineet Upadhyay

The Indian Express: New Delhi: Thursday, 30 July 2026.

While confidential records such as vigilance probes and disciplinary matters may be exempt under RTI, information on a public authority’s functioning can’t be withheld, the ruling clarifies. (AI-generated image)

Madras High Court rules that routine administrative information and registry officers' salaries must be disclosed under the RTI Act and can’t be withheld citing exemptions under Section 8.
The Madras High Court has held that routine administrative information cannot be withheld under the Right to Information (RTI) Act unless it falls within the exemptions under Section 8, directing the high court registry to disclose details relating to its Party-In-Person Committee while withholding only the details of the members’ conduct.
Justice M Dhandapani was on July 27 hearing a writ petition filed by the high court registrar general challenging a 2023 order of the Tamil Nadu Information Commission which directed the high court registry to furnish information sought by an RTI applicant relating to the Party-in-Person Committee and the administrative committee of the high court.
“So long as there is no conflicting interest and the security and safety is not jeopardized, the citizens are to be provided with all the information that are available at the disposal of the public… The information cannot be denied to the Parliament or a State Legislature and, therefore, any citizen is entitled to get the said information under the provisions of the RTI Act,” the court said.
The ruling is significant because it clarifies that while confidential records such as vigilance inquiries and disciplinary matters may be exempt under the RTI Act, routine administrative information relating to the functioning of a public authority cannot usually be withheld by invoking Section 8 (exemption from disclosure of information).
The dispute arose from an RTI application filed by one Akbar Ahamed on July 28, 2021. The applicant sought details relating to the High Court of Madras (Conduct of Proceedings by Party-in-Person) Rules, 2019, including the names and designations of members of the Party-in-Person Committee, their educational qualifications, experience, achievements, field of expertise, pay scale and salary details, and the functions, responsibilities, powers and jurisdiction of the high court’s administrative committee. The application also sought the conduct details of the committee members.
The public information officer rejected the application, relying on an earlier division bench judgment of the high court. The first appellate authority upheld the rejection. The applicant then approached the Tamil Nadu Information Commission, which, by an order dated October 18, 2023, directed the high court registry to furnish the requested information and submit a compliance report. Aggrieved, the registrar general filed the present writ petition before the high court.
Comparison with earlier judgment
The registry argued that the information related to its internal administration and was exempt from disclosure under Section 8. It relied on an earlier division bench judgment that had upheld the non-disclosure of vigilance-related information concerning judicial officers.
Justice Dhandapani, however, held that the reliance was misplaced. The earlier judgment, the court noted, dealt with vigilance inquiries, disciplinary proceedings and personal information relating to judicial officers, where disclosure could prejudice institutional functioning and invade individual privacy.
The present case, by contrast, involved information relating to the constitution of a committee, the qualifications and experience of its members, their pay details and the committee’s functions. “The information sought for by the 2nd respondent would by no stretch fall within the exemptions prescribed under Section 8 of the RTI Act,” the court held.
The court observed that several details sought by the applicant, including the qualifications and experience of committee members, were already available on the high court’s official website. “The constitution of the Committee and the composition of the members of the Committee is an administrative act, which is not a classified information that could not be parted,” it said.
In such circumstances, it added, the registry could simply inform the applicant that the information was available in the public domain. “The petitioner cannot shield itself under Section 8 to claim that the said information are exempted/classified information,” it added
Clarification on salary details
After the judgment was delivered on June 15, the matter was mentioned before the court, which was informed that the committee for which information had been sought comprised registrars and registry officers, and not judges as had been assumed while deciding the case.
By a correction order dated July 27, Justice Dhandapani modified the judgment and clarified that the pay scale and salary details sought related to registrars and registry officers. The court held that their salaries and allowances are matters of public record because they are paid from public funds.
“Such salary and allowances are paid from out of the amount collected from the taxpayers and the taxpayers cannot be precluded from knowing about the details of the same by shielding the same under Section 8 of the Act,” the court said. It, however, accepted the registry’s stand in respect of one category of information.
The judge held that the conduct details of committee members were not liable to be disclosed, observing that such information was not available with the high court in the manner sought by the applicant. Barring that, the applicant was held entitled to receive all the information sought under the RTI Act.
Plea disposed of
Disposing of the writ petition, the high court directed the registrar general to provide the RTI applicant with all the information sought, except the conduct details of the committee members, within two weeks from receipt of a copy of the order.
The court also directed the registry to carry out the corrections incorporated through the July 27 order and issue a fresh copy of the judgment reflecting the clarification regarding the committee’s composition and the reasoning regarding disclosure of the salary details.

‘Extremely disturbing state of affairs’: CIC on one govt body forced to use RTI against another

The Print: New Delhi: Thursday, 30 July 2026.

Calling it an “extremely disturbing state of affairs”, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has expressed concern after the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) was compelled to invoke the Right to Information (RTI) Act and later approach the commission to obtain basic information from the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
In a recent order, Information Commissioner Vinod Kumar Tiwari described the situation as “deeply perturbing and a matter of serious concern”, adding that it was “indeed painful” that one statutory commission had to seek the intervention of another merely to obtain information relating to reconciliation and refund of its own security deposits.
The case arose from an RTI application filed by a CERC officer in May 2024 after repeated official correspondence, personal visits and letters to NDMC failed to elicit a response regarding security deposits and their refund following CERC’s shift from Chanderlok Building to the World Trade Centre in Nauroji Nagar.
The commission noted that neither the RTI application nor the first appeal received any response and that the information was furnished only on July 8, 2026, after the CIC issued a hearing notice, more than two years later.
It said there was no explanation for the delay in providing what was essentially a copy of official records.
According to the information eventually supplied by NDMC, out of the total security deposit of Rs 4.86 crore, the civic body refunded Rs 3.48 crore while adjusting Rs 1.38 crore towards alleged outstanding dues and interest.
The CERC maintained that there were no outstanding dues and alleged that the demand stemmed from a retrospective revision of rent.
“The facts of the present case reveal an extremely disturbing state of affairs,” the commission observed, adding that such matters ought to have been resolved in the normal course of official business without requiring recourse to the RTI Act.
It stressed that the law was intended to promote transparency and accountability, “not to substitute routine administrative functioning or become the only means of securing responses from public authorities”.
Describing the conduct of the concerned NDMC officers as “appalling to say the least”, the commission said the case reflected “a high degree of administrative indifference”.
Such conduct, it said, “defeats the very object of the RTI Act” and “erodes public confidence” in public authorities.
It issued show-cause notices to the then public information officer and First Appellate Authority and directed the NDMC chairman to ensure the RTI Act is not reduced to “a substitute for routine governance”. PTI MHS MHS MPL MPL
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

Medikonduru SHO issued show-cause notice after RTI officials denied entry in police station

The Hindu: Guntur: Thursday, 30 July 2026.

Guntur Superintendent of Police (SP) Vakul Jindal on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to the Station House Officer (SHO) of Medikonduru Police Station and ordered a preliminary inquiry into the allegations that the Andhra Pradesh State Chief Information Commissioner and officials of the State Information Commission were prevented from entering the police station during an official inspection.
According to official communications issued by the SP, the action follows a representation submitted by State Chief Information Commissioner Vajja Srinivasa Rao alleging that he and Commission officials were denied entry into Medikonduru Police Station on July 13 while inspecting Right to Information (RTI) records and reviewing compliance with the RTI Act, 2005.
The show-cause notice states that if the allegations are established, the SHO's conduct would amount to failure to discharge official duties lawfully, behaviour unbecoming of a disciplined police officer, disobedience of lawful procedure, and failure to extend due courtesy to a statutory authority. The officer has been directed to submit a written explanation within seven days.
The SP has also appointed the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Thulluru, as the inquiry officer to conduct a fair, impartial and comprehensive preliminary enquiry and submit a report at the earliest. The findings will determine further disciplinary action, if warranted, against the officials concerned.

Uphold spirit of RTI Act, K Muraleedharan tells officials

Times of India: T’puram: Thursday, 30 July 2026.
Health minister K Muraleedharan urged govt officials and the state information commission (SIC) to uphold the spirit of Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Inaugurating a seminar organized by SIC for govt officials from the Vattiyoorkavu, Kazhakkoottam and Nemom constituencies on Thursday, Muraleedharan said that a citizen’s responsibility does not end after casting vote and that people have the right to know about developments in their locality and to question the performance of their elected representatives.
Although amendments have been made to RTI Act, there should be no compromise in protecting citizens’ rights, the minister added.
He also urged officials to move away from the mindset that providing information within 30 days is sufficient.
“The law calls for information to be furnished as quickly as possible, with 30 days being only the upper limit. Delays in sharing information should be avoided, and officials must examine applications carefully and act without delay,” Muraleedharan said.
The minister added that the relatively low number of appeals in Kerala compared to other states reflects the commission’s efficient functioning.

Govt vehicles 3 times more likely than private ones to lack pollution certificates in Agra: RTI

Times of India: Agra: Thursday, 30 July 2026.
Govt vehicles in Agra are more than three times as likely as private vehicles to lack valid pollution under control (PUC) certificates, according to data obtained through an RTI query.

The reply to the RTI query, filed by TOI, showed that PUC certificates of 231, or 36.9%, of the 626 vehicles registered to govt departments in Agra had expired as of July 1, 2026. In comparison, around 11% of the district’s 8,48,327 registered private vehicles lacked valid certificates.
The transport department said it did not maintain records of vehicles hired by govt departments on a contractual basis.
Department records showed that no action had been taken against govt vehicles without valid PUC certificates. Asked about enforcement against private vehicles, an official said, “Teams from the police and transport department conduct regular checks. Vehicles without valid PUC certificates are fined and impounded in case of repeated violations.”
The findings come amid increased vigilance against polluting vehicles in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ), where strict norms are in place to protect the Taj Mahal. TTZ Authority chairman and divisional commissioner Nagendra Pratap recently ordered joint enforcement drives by the police and transport departments following persistent complaints about the illegal movement of overage vehicles.
Regional transport officer Akhilesh Dwivedi said, “Action will be taken against govt vehicles operating without pollution certificates. Such vehicles will be seized and fined.”
Under section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, driving a vehicle that violates pollution standards can attract a fine of up to Rs 10,000 and disqualification from holding a driving licence for three months. A vehicle may also be seized if it is found emitting dense smoke.

Central University of Kashmir Pushes Back Against RTI-Based Report : By Syed Sammar Mehdi

Kashmir Observer: Srinagar: Thursday, 30 July 2026.
The university disputes key findings in an earlier report, saying its decisions complied with rules and that several issues remain before courts or internal committees.

Days after a report brought its administration under scrutiny, the Central University of Kashmir on Wednesday issued a point-by-point rebuttal defending its decisions on accommodation, finances and personnel matters.
The response, released from the university’s Ganderbal campus, presents a different account of events highlighted through Right to Information disclosures, government records and court proceedings. 
University officials said the earlier report, which extensively quoted Dean of Academic Affairs and Director of Media & Public Relations Dr. Shahid Rasool, overlooked key context and presented an incomplete picture.
The university, the rebuttal reads, functions in accordance with the Central Universities Act, Government of India regulations, the General Financial Rules and other statutory provisions.
A major part of the campus communique addresses payments made to the National Institute of Technology Srinagar, where Vice-Chancellor Prof. A. Ravinder Nath stayed after taking charge.
The university said those payments had no connection with the later allotment of the Vice-Chancellor’s official residence at Jawahar Nagar. 
According to officials, NIT Srinagar received the payments before the government allotted the bungalow, making the two decisions unrelated.
The university also said the Jawahar Nagar residence required renovation and refurbishment estimated at about ₹55 lakh. It said the Vice-Chancellor chose against that expenditure, leading the university to retain the bungalow in its existing condition and use it with minimal investment.
The rebuttal also explains why Prof. Sandhya Tiwari, Dean of International Affairs, was allowed to stay in the residence temporarily.
The university described the arrangement as an administrative decision taken to meet institutional requirements and encourage women’s leadership in higher education. Officials said the decision highlighted the Government of India’s “Nari Shakti” vision and also served as a humanitarian gesture.
Earlier, a report titled How One Bungalow Led to Bigger Questions at Central University of Kashmir examined the university’s administration through Right to Information records, government documents and official responses. 
It raised questions about the Vice-Chancellor’s accommodation, a salary dispute involving a former registrar, audit observations and other administrative decisions, drawing widespread attention within academic circles and public forums.
The university said the report failed to capture the full context of the decisions.
Addressing the dispute involving former Registrar Prof. Mohammad Afzal Zargar, the rebuttal said he served as Registrar for nearly ten years and that the matter is before a court. 
It said the university would cooperate with the judicial process while an internal committee examines the issues. The rebuttal urged that conclusions await the outcome of those proceedings.
The university also disputed claims involving Deputy Registrar Abdul Rashid Bhat.
According to the rebuttal, Bhat never served as Finance Officer. Officials acknowledged that allegations relating to excess salary payments remain under examination and said any excess payment found during the inquiry would be recovered according to the rules. 
They added that the payments in question relate to a period before Prof. Ravinder Nath became Vice-Chancellor and said the present administration initiated an inquiry after the issue came to its notice.
The rebuttal also defended Registrar Dr. Nisar Ahmad Mir’s visit to the University of Sussex in England.
The university said the visit formed part of an academic collaboration programme with the University of Delhi that received approval from the Ministry of Education. 
Officials described it as a capacity-building programme aimed at strengthening academic partnerships and international engagement. 
They also said registrars in central universities serve until the age of 62 under the applicable recruitment rules.
The university has now placed its response on the public record. Court proceedings, committee findings and official documents will determine how the questions surrounding its administration are ultimately resolved.

State’s RTI panel clears over 84k cases, but still faces huge pendency burden with 3 key vacant posts

Times of India: Pune: Thursday, 30 July 2026.
Maharashtra continues to face one of the country’s largest RTI backlogs, with over 80,000 pending cases and three of the 11 sanctioned posts of information commissioners lying vacant, according to a status report by civil society groups.

The report, which updated data till July 28, tracked the state’s compliance with the Supreme Court’s 2019 judgment regarding the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Even when the Maharashtra State Information Commission had disposed of 84,569 RTI appeals and complaints since April 2025, marking a slight dip in the backlog, the state continued to face scarcity of commissioners and a pendency burden.
The report also recommends that all vacancies be filled in view of the mounting pendency. It places Maharashtra among the states with the highest RTI backlogs in the country, recording more than 80,000 pending second appeals and complaints as of Dec 31, 2025. It also underlined that, according to an affidavit filed by the state govt on April 25, 2026, the proposal to create additional posts of Information Commissioners remains pending, with no final decision taken despite the rising workload.
Responding to the findings, State Chief Information Commissioner Rahul Bhalchandra Pandey said the commission had substantially improved its disposal rate after the posts of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and all State Information Commissioners (SIC) were filled on April 21, 2025.
“After the post of CIC and all vacancies of SICs were filled on April 21 last year, the commission conducted hearings at all benches with full vigour. In such a short span, we have disposed of over 93% of the cases awaiting hearing by adopting hybrid and online hearing mode, proper classification of cases and deciding matters involving some applicants who had filed thousands of appeals across benches,” Pandey told TOI.
The data shared by the commission, however, stated that the commission disposed of 74,011 second appeals and 10,558 complaints, taking the total number of disposals to 84,569, between April 21, 2025, and May 31, 2026.
As of June 1, 2026, the commission had 66,036 second appeals and 14,240 complaints pending, taking the overall pendency to 80,276 cases. During the same period, it received 55,106 fresh second appeals and 7,810 complaints – a total of 62,916 fresh cases. With 84,569 disposals, the commission cleared 21,653 more cases than it received, resulting in a net reduction in the backlog.
Pandey said the commission now plans to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) for efficiency. “It remained our endeavour to introduce AI in the RTI regime to make it fast, flawless and in tune with the vision of our Hon’ble Chief Minister and Hon’ble Prime Minister,” he said.
RTI activist Vihar Durve said the improved disposal rate was encouraging, but stressed that pendency remained high. “Former CIC Shailesh Gandhi had an excellent disposal rate, and a similar approach should be followed. The same was the case with former state CIC Ratnakar Gaikwad,” he said.
Activists said despite the commission’s improved performance, Maharashtra continued to have one of the country’s largest RTI backlogs. They urged the state govt to fill the three vacant commissioner posts without any further delay and take a decision on the proposal to create additional posts so that the commission can sustain the momentum and reduce waiting time for citizens seeking information.
RTI Commission at a glance
Sanctioned information commissioner posts: 11
Posts filled: 8
Vacant posts: 3
Pending second appeals (as of June 1, 2026): 66,036
Pending complaints (as of June 1, 2026): 14,240
Total pending cases: 80,276
Second appeals disposed (Apr 21, 2025-May 31, 2026): 74,011
Complaints disposed (Apr 21, 2025-May 31, 2026): 10,558
Total cases disposed (Apr 21, 2025-May 31, 2026): 84,569
Fresh second appeals received: 55,106
Fresh complaints received: 7,810
Total fresh cases received: 62,916
Net reduction in backlog: 21,653 cases
Measures adopted: Hybrid/online hearings, case classification, prioritisation of bulk appeals and hearings across all benches

PIL alleges dysfunctional Telangana RTI online portal, seeks NIC takeover

New Indian Express: Hyderabad: Thursday, 30 July 2026.
It is contended that such a step would improve the reliability, accountability and technical efficiency of the online platform.

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Telangana High Court, alleging serious deficiencies in the functioning of the state’s Right to Information (RTI) online portal, rti.telangana.gov.in, and seeking comprehensive reforms to ensure effective implementation of the RTI mechanism.
The petition, filed by law student B Vinab Reddy, contends that the online RTI portal has failed to provide an effective platform for citizens to pursue information requests and appeals.
According to the petitioner, although 2,502 first appeals have been filed through the portal, not a single appeal has been disposed of, with the overall disposal rate for matters processed through the portal standing at only 2.1%.
The PIL seeks directions to the state authorities to ensure that the RTI portal functions efficiently at every stage of the statutory process, including applications before the Public Information Officer (PIO), first appeals and second appeals.
The petitioner has alsourged the high court to direct that the management and maintenance of the RTI portal be entrusted to the National Informatics Centre (NIC), a central government agency, in place of the existing service provider.
It is contended that such a step would improve the reliability, accountability and technical efficiency of the online platform.
Additionally, the petition seeks directions to the Telangana Information Commission to conduct hearings in RTI appeals through both physical and virtual modes, thereby improving accessibility and ensuring timely adjudication.
During a recent hearing, a bench of Justice Shyam Koshy and Justice Narsing Rao directed the Telangana Information Commission and the State Information Technology department to file their explanations in response to the allegations raised in the PIL.
As the respondents sought additional time to place their response on record, the bench adjourned the matter to August 3 for further hearing.

RTI online portal launched in J&K

News On AIR: J&K: Thursday, 30 July 2026.

In Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today launched the Jammu & Kashmir Right to Information (RTI) Online Portal at the Civil Secretariat Jammu. The Chief Minister said this initiative will provide easy access to government information under the RTI Act, empowering citizens with a faster, more transparent, and cost-efficient mechanism. He urged the concerned authorities to ensure widespread publicity of the initiative so that citizens across J&K become aware of its benefits.

Telangana RTI portal failing as 99.48% authorities stay offline: PIL

Hyderabad Mail: Telangana: Wednesday, 29 July 2026.
A law student has taken the Telangana government to the High Court over what he describes as the near-total collapse of the state’s online Right to Information (RTI) system. He presented official data showing that only 17 of more than 3,300 registered public authorities are actually using the portal to respond to citizens.

Banappagari Vinay Reddy filed a Public Interest Litigation in the High Court of Telangana. He wants the court to order the government to fix the Telangana RTI Online Portal (rti.telangana.gov.in) and introduce virtual hearings at the Telangana Information Commission. He says these steps are required by Supreme Court orders that the state has ignored for over two years.
Speaking to Hyderabad Mail, Reddy said he has been filing RTI applications since finishing his intermediate education in 2015–16. He turned to the courts after years of frustration. The RTI process offered no way to track applications and provided a digital portal that barely worked.
The petitioner received data through his own RTI application to the Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (ITE&C) Department. The state added 3,323 public authorities to the RTI portal since its launch in December 2022. Only 17 actually use it to respond to applicants. This means 3,306 authorities, or 99.48 percent, do not comply.
The same data shows that applicants filed 17,865 RTI applications through the portal between December 2023 and 2025, but officials resolved only 377, a rate of just 2.1 percent. The situation is even worse for appeals: applicants filed 2,502 First Appeals, but officials did not resolve a single one.
Reddy said, “Out of 17,000 RTI applications, officials gave replies to only 325. The rest remained pending, and the backlog has grown. Now, applicants have filed 25,000 RTI applications. Yet officials have given very few replies, fewer than a thousand people received a response in five months.”
Only 17 authorities using portal
Major public authorities, such as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), and Osmania University, reportedly do not use the portal. The Telangana Information Commission’s 2023 annual report lists 17,768 designated Public Information Officers (PIOs) and 2,228 First Appellate Authorities statewide. These numbers are much higher than the roughly 3,300 authorities currently registered on the portal.
Reddy compared Telangana’s approach with other states. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) gives RTI portal software to states for free. Telangana, however, paid a private vendor consortium about Rs 2.07 crore for the portal’s design and hosting. More than Rs 1.51 crore has already been paid.
Reddy’s second main issue is that the Telangana Information Commission still refuses to hold hearings online. Reddy explained, “The RTI Act’s appeal process allows applicants to file a First Appeal if they do not receive a reply in 30 days and to file a Second Appeal with the State Information Commission if they do not receive a reply to the First Appeal. The Commission can take three to six months just to list the case.”
Reddy said applicants living in Khammam, Wanaparthy, or elsewhere must travel to Hyderabad in person for a hearing, even though the hearing itself often lasts only a few minutes. “Citizens suffer because they do not receive information and because they must pay to travel for the appeal, while government officials simply claim travel allowances,” he told HyderabadMail. He estimated each appeal costs an applicant about Rs 12,000.
Petition seeks functional RTI portal
The petition argues that the Commission directly violates a 2023 Supreme Court ruling (Kishan Chand Jain v. Union of India, decided October 9, 2023). The Supreme Court said that adjudicatory bodies must use technology like video-conferencing and ordered all State Information Commissions to offer a hybrid hearing option by December 31, 2023. More than two-and-a-half years after the deadline, the Telangana Commission still has not complied, according to the petition.
Reddy said the Commission started trying a Google Meet option only after he filed his PIL. He called it a token gesture, not a real rollout. “They started it after we filed the PIL, just as a sample to show the court,” he said.
Reddy says he personally filed 32 RTI applications and 25 First Appeals through the Telangana portal and received substantive responses to only five. He says thousands across the state have had the same experience. He appealed to the Court only after sending unanswered requests to the Chief Secretary, the ITE&C Department, and the Information Commission between August 2025 and March 2026 for nearly seven months. The court will hear the case next on August 3, 2026.

NTA Rot Much Deeper Than Pradhan: Documents Show Why Exam Agency Keeps Failing

The Quint: Kohima: Wednesday, 29 July 2026.
NTA Governing Body met twice in 30 months, faces staff shortages and ignored recommendations, RTI responses reveal.

The National Testing Agency, responsible for India's largest exams, has faced major governance lapses—rare board meetings, secrecy, mismatched records, unfilled senior posts, and unimplemented reform recommendations—even as lakhs of students are affected and crores of surplus funds remain unused. Why do the agency’s structural weaknesses persist despite frequent crises, tougher laws, and repeated calls for reform?
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Every year, millions of Indian students put their future in the hands of the National Testing Agency (NTA). The government body conducts some of India's biggest competitive examinations, including NEET (for medical college admissions), JEE (for engineering admissions), CUET (for university admissions), and UGC-NET (for teaching jobs). Since its establishment in 2018, NTA has conducted more than 270 examinations and handled over 6.6 crore candidate registrations. In 2026 alone, the agency has already conducted 12 examinations involving more than 65 lakh registrations.
NTA describes its mandate in ambitious terms. It states that its objective is to conduct examinations that are "valid, reliable, efficient, transparent, fair" and ensure that "the right candidates" reach "the best institutions."
However, information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, responses provided in Parliament, and findings of Parliamentary Standing Committee reports present a very different picture of the agency's functioning. The records point towards deeper governance concerns — the governing board that does not meet frequently, limited transparency in the implementation of statutory mechanisms to prevent unfair means and examination fraud, significant vacancies in sanctioned posts, and inconsistencies between information provided by NTA and facts recorded by Parliament.
Together, these findings raise questions not only about individual examination failures but also about the institutional systems responsible for safeguarding the country's largest entrance examinations.
Governing Board Met Only Twice in 30 Months — Not Even After the NEET-UG Crisis 
The job of overseeing NTA belongs to its Governing Body, think of it as the board of directors for the whole agency. But an RTI reply shows this board met only twice in the 30 months between 1 January 2024 and 1 June 2026 — a period that covers both the NEET-UG cancellation and the CUET postponement. For the top body in charge of the country's one of biggest exam agencies to meet less than once a year, even while its exams are falling apart one after another, is itself a sign of neglect.
In fact, the Governing Body did not meet even after the NEET-UG exam was called off till one of the biggest exam crises the agency has ever faced, and the very crisis that would go on to trigger weeks of street protests and, eventually, a minister's resignation. (Note - NEET UG called off on 12 May and reply of the RTI is till 1 June ) 

This is made worse by secrecy. When I sought the for copies of the minutes of these meetings, NTA refused, saying the "Minutes cannot be shared as contains information that is confidential in nature and may hamper the integrity of the examinations." So the public has no way of knowing what, if anything, the Governing Body actually discussed.
What Happens After a Paper Leak? NTA Isn't Sharing the Answers 
The secrecy does not stop at board minutes. NTA has also refused to share basic details about how it is dealing with paper leaks and cheating, the very problem that the government has now moved to address at the legislative level.
In 2024, Parliament passed a law called the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. Section 9 of this Act says every public examination authority must set up a mechanism for monitoring how the Act's provisions are implemented. An RTI request asked NTA to explain the system it has set up for this. NTA's reply simply said it has formed a committee — called the Unfair Means (UFM) Committee — to look into cheating cases and recommend action. It gave no further details on how this system actually works or how it is monitored.
The same RTI request also asked for details of every reported cheating case or offence — including copies of complaints or police FIRs, and the current status of each case. NTA said this information is "not maintained in the format sought," meaning it does not keep records in the way the applicant asked for, and that the RTI Act does not require it to create new information just to answer a question.
NTA also refused to hand over two specific documents — called Form 1 and Form 2 — that the 2024 law requires officers in charge  and examination centre to fill out whenever a cheating case or offence is detected. NTA said these records are part of an ongoing investigation and are therefore exempt from disclosure under a specific section of the RTI Act meant to protect investigations.
This matters more than ever now. The Cabinet's newly cleared amendments to the 2024 Act raise jail terms for organised examination fraud from three-to-five years to five-to-ten years, raise the maximum fine to ₹10 crore. Tougher punishment on paper may mean little if the agency responsible for detecting and reporting cheating in the first place will not even disclose how its own internal monitoring system works, or hand over the basic case records the law requires it to keep.
Information Mismatch: When NTA's RTI Replies Differ From Parliament's Record 
An RTI query sought information from NTA to list every exam and result that was postponed, cancelled, or re-conducted between January 2024 and May 2026, and reasons for the same. NTA's answer named only two events: a UGC-NET re-exam held in computer-based mode between 21 August and 4 September 2024, and a NEET-UG re-exam held in pen-and-paper mode on 21 June 2026.
That short list does not match what the Parliamentary Standing Committee itself has recorded. The Committee found that of the 14 competitive exams NTA ran in 2024, at least five ran into serious trouble: UGC-NET, CSIR-NET and NEET-PG all had to be postponed; NEET-UG saw paper leaks; and CUET (UG/PG) had its results delayed. The Committee did not mince words, saying "NTA's performance in the last year has not inspired much confidence."
The committee also noted that in JEE Main 2025, held in January 2025, at least 12 questions had to be withdrawn due to errors found in the final answer key of this major engineering entrance exam. The Committee noted that mistakes like this shake the confidence of students in the whole system, and said NTA "need[s] to quickly get their act together" so that such fully avoidable errors do not happen again.
NTA's RTI reply tells a very different story from the findings of the Parliamentary Standing Committee. This raises an obvious question: why is the information given to RTI different from what Parliament itself has recorded? 
Recommendations on Paper, Reforms Missing on Ground 
In a letter posted on Twitter (X), the then education minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said that he was committed to ensuring that no deserving student's future would be ruined by what he called the "examination mafia," and that no student would suffer injustice. Information provided by the Education Ministry itself suggests his ministry's actions did not fully match that promise. 
In its report tabled in Parliament in December 2025, the Parliamentary Standing Committee said that private companies banned by one state or organisation for problems such as paper leaks, conducting exams, or evaluating answer sheets are still able to get contracts elsewhere. To stop this, it recommended that the government create a single nationwide blacklist of such companies and the people behind them.
To check whether this had been done, an RTI application was filed with the Education Ministry asking for a copy of the blacklist. In its June 2026 reply, the Ministry said it did not have any such information. This shows that, even months after the Committee's recommendation, the nationwide blacklist had still not been created.
The Committee has also asked, twice now,  most recently in its 364th Report — that NTA publish a full Annual Report describing its work in detail and submit it to Parliament every year, instead of just an audited financial statement. When an RTI request sought copies of the Annual Reports NTA had actually submitted to Parliament, the agency simply replied: visit the official NTA website.  As of 25 July 2026, no such report exists there.
A Crackdown Without Capacity: NTA's Empty Chairs Problem 
Amid the fallout from the paper-leak scandals, the Government has announced that it has terminated (removed from service) 47 officials of NTA. News reports  say legal and criminal action may follow against some of them. This has been presented as a strong step towards reform.
But the RTI data points to a deeper problem than punishing a few individuals. NTA's sanctioned permanent staff strength, the number of permanent posts the government has officially approved is only 39, backed up by 124 people working on a temporary basis. Of the 39 permanent posts, 38 percent are vacant, meaning empty and unfilled. The gap is worst at the senior level: of 13 sanctioned Director posts, only 4 are filled — a vacancy rate of nearly 70 percent as per the RTI reply. 
An agency running national exams where millions of candidates apply every year by its own numbers, working without close to a third of its permanent sanctioned staff — and without most of the senior directors who would normally be expected to watch over exam integrity. A new law with harsher penalties will still need people to enforce it; on current numbers, NTA does not have them. 
A Cash-Rich Agency With a Capacity Gap
If NTA's record on running exams and governing itself looks weak, its finances tell a different story. A reply given in the Rajya Sabha on 22 July 2026 lays out, year by year, how much NTA earned and spent from 2019-20 to 2023-24  and in every single one of those five years, the agency earned more than it spent. Add up the last column and NTA saved close to ₹520 crore over just these five years.
This matches what Parliament's own Standing Committee had already found. The Committee's 371st Report, titled "Review of Autonomous Bodies and Institutions" and presented to the Rajya Sabha on 8 December 2025, noted that NTA collected an estimated ₹3,512.98 crore while spending ₹3,064.77 crore on conducting exams over six years, leaving a surplus of ₹448 crore. 
The Committee recommended that this money be used to build NTA's own ability to run exams itself, or to strengthen its checks on the private vendors it depends on. The RTI record shows no sign that this has been carried out, even though that surplus could, in principle, have funded exactly the kind of staffing and oversight capacity the agency is now shown to lack.
NTA reforms: Another Committee, Two Years later
The Prime Minister's announcement of a new task force to reform the National Testing Agency (NTA) comes nearly two years after the Centre had set up a similar high-level committee following the 2024 NEET-UG controversy.
The NTA came under severe criticism in 2024 after allegations of irregularities in the NEET-UG examination and the cancellation of the UGC-NET exam over concerns about its integrity. The controversy triggered nationwide protests, with students and opposition parties demanding sweeping reforms and, in some cases, the agency's dissolution.
In response, the Ministry of Education constituted a seven-member High-Level Committee of Experts on 22 June 2024 under the chairmanship of former ISRO Chairman Dr. K. Radhakrishnan. The committee was asked to recommend reforms to improve the examination process, strengthen data security, and review the NTA's structure and functioning.
The committee submitted its report to the government on 21 October 2024.
After the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak, the NTA announced on 19 May 2026 that it was strengthening its leadership and institutional framework. In a press release, the agency said four senior officers from the Government of India had been posted to the NTA, including two Joint Secretary-level officers who would serve as Additional Director Generals "as per the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan Committee."
This indicates that at least some of the committee's recommendations had begun to be implemented even before the Prime Minister announced a new task force headed by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani to recommend further reforms for NTA-conducted examinations.
The announcement of another expert panel, however, raises important questions. How many of the Radhakrishnan Committee's recommendations have been implemented? Which recommendations remain pending? If the earlier reforms were implemented, what shortcomings remained that required a fresh committee? If they were not implemented, why was another panel constituted instead of acting on the existing recommendations?
The Bigger Picture
A minister has resigned. A tougher law is on the way. Fast-track courts will be set up to deal with exam fraud. These are major steps, taken after weeks of protests by students. But changing the law and replacing people addresses only the immediate crisis, not the deeper problems.
The findings in this investigation point to those deeper issues: a Governing Body that rarely meets, secrecy over how paper leaks are handled, RTI replies that do not match Parliament's records, recommendations that remain unimplemented, large vacancies in key posts, and hundreds of crores of rupees lying unused despite repeated calls to strengthen the agency.
Taken together, these are not isolated administrative lapses. They point to weaknesses in the way NTA is governed. Every year, the agency collects thousands of crores of rupees in exam fees from students and their families. Yet the body responsible for overseeing it meets infrequently, key information remains hidden, and many senior positions remain vacant.
Unless the next Education Minister and the next NTA leadership fix these structural problems—not just punish individuals or pass stricter laws—the same failures are likely to happen again, no matter what the law says on paper.