बस्ती में RTI मांगने पर दो पक्षों में विवाद, चाकू से शिक्षिका की हत्या, 3 घायल : Written By : सतीश श्रीवास्तव

ABP News: Uttar Pradesh: Thursday, 12 November 2026.
बस्ती के ताहिरापुर गांव में शिक्षिका की नियुक्ति में कथित फर्जीवाड़े का आरोप लगाते हुए एक पक्ष द्वा RTI से जानकारी मांगने को लेकर शुरू हुआ विवाद में चाकू से हमला कर शिक्षिका सुधा की हत्या कर दी गई.

शिक्षिका की हत्या की आरोपी लक्ष्मी यादव गिरफ्तार

RTI से जानकारी मांगने को लेकर शुरू हुआ विवाद इतना बढ़ गया कि देखते ही देखते खूनी संघर्ष में तब्दील हो गया. बस्ती जिले के कलवारी थाना क्षेत्र के ताहिरापुर गांव में हुई इस सनसनीखेज वारदात ने पूरे इलाके को झकझोर कर रख दिया. शिक्षिका की नियुक्ति में कथित फर्जीवाड़े का आरोप लगाते हुए एक पक्ष द्वारा जनसूचना मांगे जाने को लेकर शुरू हुए विवाद में चाकू से हमला कर शिक्षिका सुधा की हत्या कर दी गई. इस हमले में उनके पति, बेटा और बेटी भी घायल हो गए. घटना के बाद गांव में अफरा-तफरी मच गई. सूचना मिलते ही पुलिस महकमे में हड़कंप मच गया और पुलिस ने तत्काल कार्रवाई करते हुए आरोपियों आलोक प्रेमचंद सहित दो अन्य को हिरासत में ले लिया.
मामले की शुरुआत दोनो पक्षों में पुरानी रंजिश को लेकर बताई जा रही है. बताया जा रहा है कि जनसूचना मांगे जाने को लेकर दोनों पक्षों के बीच विवाद शुरू हुआ, जो धीरे-धीरे गहराता चला गया. आरोप है कि सूचना मांगने की बात को लेकर पैदा हुई नाराजगी ने ऐसा हिंसक रूप ले लिया कि मामला जानलेवा हमले तक पहुंच गया.
घायल पति, बेटे और बेटी को उपचार के भेजा जिला अस्पताल
बताया जा रहा है कि ताहिरापुर गांव में इसी विवाद को लेकर दोनों पक्ष आमने-सामने आ गए. शुरुआत में कहासुनी और विवाद की स्थिति बनी, लेकिन कुछ ही देर में हालात बिगड़ गए. आरोप है कि इस दौरान चाकू से हमला कर दिया गया. हमले में शिक्षिका सुधा गंभीर रूप से घायल हो गईं. उनके परिवार के अन्य सदस्य भी हमलावरों के निशाने पर आ गए. शिक्षिका के पति, बेटे और बेटी को भी चोटें आईं. अचानक हुई इस वारदात से मौके पर चीख-पुकार मच गई और आसपास के लोग घटनास्थल की तरफ दौड़ पड़े.
चाकू से किए गए हमले में शिक्षिका सुधा की जान चली गई. पति और बच्चों के सामने परिवार की सदस्य की मौत ने पूरे परिवार को गहरे सदमे में डाल दिया. घटना में घायल पति, बेटे और बेटी को उपचार के लिए जिला अस्पताल पहुंचाया गया, जहां उनका इलाज चल रहा है. एक ही परिवार के चार सदस्यों के इस तरह घटना की चपेट में आने से गांव के लोगों में भी दहशत का माहौल है.
मामले में पुलिस ने आरोपियों को लिया हिरासत में
घटना की जानकारी मिलते ही कलवारी थाना पुलिस मौके पर पहुंची. पुलिस उपाधिक्षक बृजेश सिंह ने घटनास्थल का जायजा लिया और घायलों को उपचार के लिए अस्पताल पहुंचाने की व्यवस्था की. मामले की गंभीरता को देखते हुए पुलिस ने आरोपियों को हिरासत में ले लिया. पुलिस अब पूरे घटनाक्रम की कड़ियां जोड़ने में जुटी है. विवाद की असल वजह, हमले में शामिल लोगों की भूमिका और घटना के पीछे की परिस्थितियों की जांच की जा रही है.
जनसूचना अधिकार अधिनियम आम नागरिकों को सरकारी विभागों और सार्वजनिक प्राधिकरणों से निर्धारित प्रक्रिया के तहत जानकारी प्राप्त करने का कानूनी अधिकार देता है. ऐसे में किसी नियुक्ति को लेकर जानकारी मांगने के विवाद का कथित तौर पर हिंसक संघर्ष में बदल जाना बेहद गंभीर मामला है. हालांकि, इस वारदात के पीछे की वास्तविक वजह और दोनों पक्षों के बीच हुए विवाद की पूरी जानकारी जांच के बाद ही स्पष्ट होगी.
फिलहाल कलवारी थाना क्षेत्र के ताहिरापुर गांव में हुई इस वारदात ने पूरे इलाके में सनसनी फैला दी है. एक शिक्षिका की मौत और परिवार के तीन अन्य सदस्यों के घायल होने से मामला बेहद गंभीर हो गया है. पुलिस आरोपियों को हिरासत में लेकर पूछताछ कर रही है और घटना से जुड़े सभी पहलुओं की पड़ताल में जुटी है. अब देखना होगा कि पुलिस जांच में इस खूनी संघर्ष की असली वजह क्या सामने आती है और इस जघन्य वारदात में किसकी क्या भूमिका रही है.

10 Kochi corp officials arrested in corruption cases in six years: RTI reply

The Times of India: Kochi: Thursday, 12 November 2026.
Vigilance and anticorruption bureau (VACB) has arrested 10 Kochi corporation officials in the past six years. However, none of them have been convicted; an RTI reply shows.

As per the RTI reply given to Raju Vazhakkala, health inspectors, building inspectors, clerks and officials with the revenue department were arrested in corruption cases. Of the 10 cases, initial procedures are being taken in four cases while chargesheets have been submitted in the remaining cases.
“It is just a tip of the iceberg. Corruption is rampant in the corporation. It is to facilitate corruption that the corporation authorities recently sought a vigilance probe against RTI activists. It is through RTI replies that data regarding various projects being introduced by the corporation are revealed. This causes inconvenience for the corrupt persons at the helm of the corporation office,” Vazhakkala said.
“It is ironic that an RTI reply exposed the quantum of the corporation officials to a certain extent,” he added.
Mayor V K Minimol said the corporation is taking steps to curb corruption among the local body’s officials. “I personally monitor the files movement. If a particular file is pending before an official for a long time, I would seek an explanation,” Minimol said.
“After the introduction of K-Smart, the quantum of corruption has come down,” she added.
At the same time, Minimol said there is a lobby which facilitates corruption using RTI replies. “After securing data regarding various projects and proposals through RTI applications, those who are living outside Kochi corporation limits would lodge complaints regarding such projects. Some of the officials also facilitate this corrupt practice,” Minimol said.
Opposition leader V A Sreejith said corruption is a major problem. “It has been there for the past several years. It should be curbed,” he said.

Naigaon BDD Chawl residents got keys before water connection was secured: RTI - By Ateeq Shaikh

Hindustan Times: Mumbai: Thursday, 12 November 2026.
The documents also showed a series of lapses in securing a pipeline connection to ensure adequate water supply for the newly built complex, which comprises eight high-rise buildings

Following persistent complaints, protests and political interventions, Mhada began deploying water tankers to the Naigaon BDD Chawl complex in the last week of July to bridge the deficit.

When 864 families received the keys to their new apartments in the redeveloped Naigaon BDD Chawl complex from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis during a glittering ceremony on March 16 this year, the buildings did not have an active water connection, according to documents accessed by residents under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The documents, obtained from the hydraulic engineering (HE) department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and seen by HT, also showed a series of lapses in securing a pipeline connection to ensure adequate water supply for the newly built complex, which comprises eight high-rise buildings.
The Naigaon BDD Chawl redevelopment project, being executed by the Mumbai Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), is one of the biggest rehabilitation initiatives of the Maharashtra government. Under the project, thousands of eligible families are being moved from 160-sq-ft rooms in century-old, low-rise chawls to new 500-sq-ft flats in high-rises.
However, as previously reported by HT, residents have been grappling with a severe water crisis since at least May. The shortage intensified as families began moving into their new homes and occupancy steadily rose across the five towers completed so far under phase 1 of the project. The distribution of keys of the remaining 537 flats under phase 1, began on June 5.
The RTI documents show that on March 16, the day of the key distribution ceremony, inspections and remarks by the BMC’s water department indicated that Mhada’s application for a water connection was still pending. An official note dated March 20 also recorded that only two common underground water tanks had been built for the entire complex–one serving towers 1 to 4 and the other towers 5 to 8.
Frustrated by recurring complaints of inadequate supply and low water pressure, residents recently filed an RTI application seeking details of the project’s water requirements, supply infrastructure and arrangements made to meet the demand.
“The documents of water connection application by Mhada points to gross negligence and a failure to comply with key conditions of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) granted by the HE department for phase 1,” said Vishal Mohite, a member of the ad hoc housing committee.
The documents also flagged low pressure in the existing 150-mm-diameter water pipeline from which connections to the complex were initially proposed. Recognising this, the HE department had suggested redesigning the connection for towers 1 to 4. “As there is low pressure in the 150 mm diameter water main at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Road, it is proposed to redesign the water connection for Towers 1 to 4 from Govindji Keni Marg,” the document reads.
Civic officials said the 150 mm pipeline was old and already services multiple other localities. “That is why we advised them to lay an internal water main from a separate pipeline. This was not done. As occupancy increased, residents expectedly began complaining about severe water shortages,” said a BMC official, requesting anonymity.
Despite these warnings, Mhada and the BMC went ahead and executed two connections directly into the existing low pressure water main in May and June, the RTI documents revealed.
According to the water requirement plan submitted by Mhada to the BMC, the complex was supposed to receive 643,000 litres of water daily. However, records show that actual supply remained well below this requirement, at around 400,000 to 450,000 litres a day. On some days, it fell to 300,000 litres due to regional water cuts and compounding low pressure. This left the complex facing a massive daily deficit of nearly 200,000 litres.
Following persistent complaints, protests and political interventions, Mhada finally began deploying water tankers in the last week of July to bridge the deficit.
Civic officials said the NOCs issued by the HE department in June 2025 and August 2026 required the developer to lay an internal water main at the complex’s access point at its own expense, and commission it before an occupation certificate (OC) could be issued. The terms clearly stated that water supply would only be provisioned after this condition was met, said a BMC official. However, this clause was allegedly bypassed, and both the BMC and Mhada proceeded with an inadequate connection.
A Mhada official denied the allegations, saying the authority had secured the required 100-mm water connections from the BMC well before handing over possession of the flats.
“The keys of 864 tenements in towers 4 to 8 were handed over in the presence of the chief minister on March 16 after completion of the water connections and cleaning and chlorination of the water storage tanks. Subsequently, the remaining 537 tenements were handed over from June onwards. Presently, all 1,401 tenements are receiving water through two sanctioned 100 mm BMC connections. Hence, the allegation that possession was handed over without securing water connections is factually incorrect,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
A second Mhada official, however, acknowledged the water shortage and said the authority was working to resolve the problem.

Bailable warrant out against Gurdaspur PIO for RTI non-compliance : By Hillary Victor

Hindustan Times: Chandigarh: Thursday, 12 November 2026.
Punjab information commissioner Harpreet Singh Sandhu directed the Gurdaspur SSP to execute a bailable warrant against Kanwarpreet Singh, panchayat secretary-cum-public information officer in the office of the block development and panchayat officer, Gurdaspur

The officer has been directed to appear before the commission in Chandigarh at 11 am on December 17, along with the entire relevant record. (HT)

In a stern message against officials failing to comply with the provisions of the Right to Information Act, the Punjab State Information Commission has issued a bailable warrant against a public information officer in Gurdaspur district for repeatedly failing to furnish information sought by an applicant and ignoring summons issued by the commission.
In an order issued on Wednesday, state information commissioner Harpreet Singh Sandhu directed the Gurdaspur senior superintendent of police (SSP) to execute a bailable warrant against Kanwarpreet Singh, panchayat secretary-cum-public information officer (PIO) in the office of the block development and panchayat officer, Gurdaspur.
The officer has been directed to appear before the commission in Chandigarh at 11 am on December 17, along with the entire relevant record.
The case pertains to an appeal filed by Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of Bhule Chak village in Gurdaspur district, against the officer and the first appellate authority in the office of the district development and panchayat officer, Gurdaspur.
According to the commission’s order, the appellant informed the bench during the hearing that no information had been provided by the PIO till date.
The commission also noted that the officer concerned remained absent despite notices and orders having been duly served through registered post. His absence, without any intimation or request for adjournment, had adversely affected the proceedings.
Taking note of the officer’s continued non-compliance, the commission observed that a show-cause notice had already been issued to him during the April 6 hearing. At the time, the PIO was directed to provide the requisite information to the applicant, failing which a bailable warrant would be issued.
Observing that the information had still not been furnished and the officer had also failed to appear before the bench despite due notice, the commission ordered issuance of a bailable warrant under Section 18(3)(a) of the RTI Act, 2005, to secure the officer’s presence and ensure that the matter reaches its logical conclusion.

Can’t deny public recruitment video under RTI. How HC ruled on plea by Haryana Police aspirant : Sushil Manav

The Print: Chandigarh: Thursday, 12 November 2026.
The recording is not a personal document but part of the Haryana Police assessment conducted by a public authority, HC said

File photo of Punjab and Haryana High Court | Commons

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that records relating to a public recruitment process cannot be withheld under the Right to Information (RTI) Act simply because they contain personal information about other candidates, particularly when the information is sought to examine the fairness of the selection process.
The ruling came while hearing a petition seeking videography of a Band Skill Test conducted for recruitment of Bandsmen (Constables) in the Haryana Police. The court also said candidates seeking such information need not first prove that the recruitment process was tainted by malice or irregularities. They are entitled to seek records to examine whether the selection was fair and transparent.
Justice Kirti Singh, in an order dated 5 November, allowed Sunder Lal’s petition and set aside the State Information Commission’s 22 January order denying him access to the recording. The authorities have been directed to provide the video within 30 days.
“The right to seek information cannot be made dependent upon the information seeker first establishing the very irregularity which the information is sought to examine,” the judge said.
A gap of 18 marks
Sunder Lal, who belongs to the Backward Class-B (BCB) category, applied for the post of Bandsman (Constable) following a recruitment advertisement issued on 30 November, 2022. He cleared the Knowledge Test on 7 January, 2024, and the Physical Screening Test on 27 January, 2024. The Band Skill Test, carrying 60 of the total 100 marks, was conducted the following day under videography.
The final selection list was published in February 2024 without a breakdown of marks. Sunder Lal found that a Jaibir had been selected against the only BCB vacancy in the Brass Band category.
The marks, subsequently placed on record by the State, showed that both candidates scored 13.6 in the Knowledge Test. Sunder Lal received an additional 3 marks for an NCC certificate, taking his total to 38.6, including 22 in the Band Skill Test, while Jaibir scored 53.6 overall, with 40 marks in the skill test.
The test comprised three components: Knowledge of Scales and Instrument, Self Choice Music and Sight Reading. Sunder Lal scored 10 out of 25, 12 out of 25 and zero out of 10, respectively. Jaibir scored 15, 20 and 5 in the three components.
Sunder Lal had initially approached the High Court in July 2025 but withdrew his petition on 8 August, 2025, with liberty to pursue other remedies.
RTI request rejected
Sunder Lal subsequently filed an RTI application on 11 November, 2024, seeking answer sheets, marks and videography of candidates belonging to the BCB category.
The SPIO-cum-Deputy Superintendent of Police, Karnal, rejected the application on 12 December, 2024, citing Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, which exempts personal information from disclosure. The first appellate authority upheld the decision on 30 December, 2024.
In the second appeal, the State Information Commission directed the authorities to disclose the marks but refused access to the video. It reasoned that Sunder Lal had not placed anything on record to establish malice or prima facie subversion of the assessment process.
Before the High Court, the State defended the selection process. Senior Deputy Advocate General Saumya Ahluwalia submitted that 422 candidates had been shortlisted after the Knowledge Test, of whom 371 appeared for the Physical Screening Test and 222 qualified. Following the Physical Measurement Test, 194 candidates were called for the Band Skill Test.
She argued that Jaibir was selected on merit and that the video could not be disclosed since it contained information relating to other applicants. She also pointed out that Sunder Lal had applied for the Bass Drum, while Jaibir had opted for the Bb Clarinet.
What the court said
Justice Singh held that the distinction between the instruments played by the two candidates did not address the question before the court. The proceedings, she noted, were not concerned with comparing their musical proficiency or examining the correctness of the marks awarded to them. The issue was whether Sunder Lal could be denied access to the contemporaneous record of an assessment conducted as part of a public recruitment process.
The court relied on the Delhi High Court’s ruling in UPSC v. N. Sugathan and the Chhattisgarh High Court’s decision in Kewal Singh Gautam v. State of Chhattisgarh. It said the principle emerging from these judgments was that information directly connected with a public recruitment process could not be withheld merely by classifying it as personal information.
The court observed that the recording “is not an unrelated personal document” but forms part of the record of an assessment conducted by a public authority.
It also noted that the difference in the candidates’ overall scores was substantially attributable to their Band Skill Test marks, making access to the recording particularly relevant.
Sunder Lal was represented by advocates Animesh Sharma and Ishita Khanna.
(Edited by Anupama Yadav)

CIC flags lapses, asks AWBI to fix Animal Welfare Board’s RTI listing

Nagaland Post: New Delhi: Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying to pursue the correction of the Animal Welfare Board of India’s (AWBI) administrative details on the online RTI portal and designate information officers for its Animal Welfare Division, flagging shortcomings in the body’s mandatory disclosures under the transparency law.

The directions came while disposing of complaints filed by applicant Naresh Kadyan against the AWBI, which functions under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Information Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar Jindal noted that the complainant’s primary grievance concerned the Board’s alleged failure to comply with the proactive disclosure requirements under Section 4 of the Right to Information Act.
The complainant submitted that the information uploaded on the Board’s website was outdated and that its administrative control continued to be incorrectly reflected under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on the online RTI portal.
The CIC also took note of the AWBI’s submission that steps were being taken to rectify the issue.
“The commission is of the view that shortcoming in the disclosure by the public authority is against the mandate of Sections 4(1)(a) and 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act, 2005, which cast a statutory obligation upon public authorities to maintain records properly and to ensure accurate and timely dissemination of information,” the order said.
The commission directed the Secretary and First Appellate Authority of AWBI to “undertake a comprehensive review of the board’s website and the records uploaded thereon” and ensure that “complete, accurate, and up-to-date proactive disclosures” mandated under Section 4 are published “in letter and spirit”.
It also directed the Joint Secretary (Animal Welfare Board) in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying to “proactively pursue” the matter with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for the formal alignment of AWBI as a public authority under the department on the online RTI portal.
Further, the department was directed to designate Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs) and First Appellate Authorities (FAAs) for its Animal Welfare Division in accordance with Section 5 of the RTI Act.
The order noted that the complainant had also raised the issue of the department not having designated a CPIO for the Animal Welfare Division, making it difficult for citizens to file RTI applications.
The commission observed that the AWBI had written to the DoPT on February 19, 2025, and May 2, 2026, but the necessary correction on the online RTI portal was yet to be affected.

Over 80% Savarna Faculty, 2,600+ Reserved Posts Vacant: What New RTI Data Reveals About Caste in IITs : Pranav Jeevan P.

The Wire: National: Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
Out of 23 IITs, only 17 responded to RTI requests, only 10 provided department-wise data and only 7 provided application data.

Faculty members of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Bombay) hold a march in the institute's campus to support Suryanarayana Doolla, who was removed as Dean of Administrative Affairs amid protests by students over the suicide of a 22-year-old student, in Mumbai, September 21, 2026. Photo: PTI

Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), which have always been marketed as the pinnacle of excellence in the country, have been witnessing alarmingly frequent suicides of students, a significant proportion of them of students belonging to marginalised communities. Sahil Wakode, a second-year B. Tech student at IIT Bombay who belonged to a Scheduled Caste (SC), is the most recent such case.
In response to the tragedy, the institute, as usual, immediately blamed the student – Wakode – by making an unverified claim of academic dishonesty to push a media narrative against him. His parents alleged that he faced caste-based harassment from faculty member Sooryanarayana Doolla and demanded his arrest.
What followed was even more telling: IIT Bombay faculty marched in support of the accused professor. They did not wait for any investigation on these allegations to conclude. IIT Delhi and IIT Madras faculty members also issued statements of solidarity with the faculty member on whom the finger of blame was being pointed.
This solidarity demands scrutiny. Why did faculty across multiple IITs mobilise so swiftly for a colleague accused of caste harassment and abetment to suicide, while remaining silent through the years of student suicides and caste discrimination?
This sends a clear message that, no matter what, the people occupying power in these institutions will mobilise to protect their own brethren, even if they harass, discriminate or lead to the students.

To understand why these elite educational campuses remain hostile to students from Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi (DBA) backgrounds, one must examine who actually occupies faculty positions in these campuses.
The data and findings presented in this article are drawn from Right to Information (RTI) applications filed by this author with the IITs in September 2026.
The RTIs sought the current category-wise composition and vacancies of faculty, the number of faculty applications received from 2025 onwards and the details of the functioning of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) students’ cells, including their mandate, funding, annual reports and the nature of complaints they received.
The RTIs also asked for information on campus mental health facilities and counsellors, the composition and functioning of gender cells/Internal Complaints Committees under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (PoSH Act) and the number of student suicides in the last five years.
Out of 23 IITs, only 17 responded to the RTI requests, only 10 provided department-wise data and only 7 provided application data. The response to information on SC/ST cells was vague and incomplete.

RTI data collected in October 2026 from 17 IITs reveals the category-wise composition of their faculty. More than 80% of IIT faculty members are Savarna, a direct and blatant violation of reservation norms. IIT Kharagpur leads the violation, with a 91% Savarna faculty.
The department-level data shows an even starker picture. The vast majority of departments across these institutes do not have a single SC, ST or Other Backward castes (OBC) faculty member. Some campuses have only two or three ST faculty in the entire institution, with IIT Palakkad having none.
Even the Humanities and Social Sciences departments of many IITs (Gandhinagar, Guwahati, Mandi, Dharwad, Hyderabad), which are supposed to teach social inequality and caste, have no representation by these social groups.
For years, the IITs’ standard response to questions about representation has been the claim that they simply do not receive enough applications from reserved-category candidates. The RTI data demolishes this defence by showing that since 2025, more than half of all faculty applications have come from SC, ST and OBC candidates – in IIT Guwahati over 80%.
The Humanities department of IIT Guwahati received 161 OBC and 100 SC applications, but still it did not hire a single one. Departments without a single reserved-category faculty member received large numbers of applications from qualified candidates in these categories. Yet these Savarna-dominated departments continue appointing Savarna candidates above their permitted numbers, effectively stealing the reserved seats.
When we compute the sanctioned faculty strength by adding the current faculty numbers and reported vacancies, and apply reservation norms to it, the scale of the theft becomes visible: Overall, 928 Savarna faculty members occupy positions above what reservation norms permit, while 2,631 SC, ST and OBC posts remain vacant despite tens of thousands of applicants.
An RTI filed by the author in 2022 had revealed that despite 11 IITs getting over fourteen thousand applications for faculty positions, most of them did not fill any of the vacant reserved seats. IIT Guwahati had declared 152 reserved vacancies and received 1,915 applications but did not appoint a single candidate. Four years later, the latest RTI data shows that nothing has changed.
The non-functional SC/ST cells
During the Savarna mobilisation around the Sahil Wakode case, the faculty members who defended the professor whom the parents blamed for their son’s mistreatment and ultimately his death, argued that if there had been caste harassment, the young scholar could have approached the SC/ST Cell. But RTI data exposes the emptiness of this argument.
Effective grievance redressal requires at least one SC/ST faculty member in every department to serve as a faculty coordinator. This is someone a student can approach without fear of reprisal; someone whom the student feels would understand his lived experience. When a department has no SC or ST faculty at all, who exactly is a student supposed go to for redressal?
The data on how these cells actually function paints an even grimmer picture. Of the 17 IITs, only IIT Roorkee and IIT Bhilai reported receiving complaints of caste discrimination, conducting events and outreach activities and allocating funds for the cell. Six IITs did not even have an SC/ST cell, others reported no complaints, and no activities or events.
These cells are supposed to be more than grievance mechanisms; they must conduct outreach activities so students know that support exists and can trust that their complaints will be heard and justice delivered. But the SC/ST cells at these institutes exist as an email address on a website, functionally non-existent and structurally incapable of the work they claim to do.
Further, a grievance mechanism that never receives complaints is not evidence of the absence of discrimination – it is evidence that students do not have faith that they can get justice from it. In many cases, even if a student complains, the cells exist to coerce the student into withdrawing it.
Despite multiple surveys by the SC/ST cell at IIT Bombay showing rampant caste discrimination on the campus, the institute still claims that it has not received any complaints. This is despite the death by suicide of Aniket Ambhore, Darshan Solanki and Sahil Wakode.
The poor state of the SC/ST cells becomes even more revealing when compared with the ICCs mandated under the PoSH Act. Because the PoSH Act establishes statutory guidelines and consequences, nearly all IITs maintain a functioning ICC. IIT Hyderabad reported 69 complaints in the last 5 years, with 166 complaints across 8 institutes that provided data under the RTI Act.
Even here, representation gaps persist, IIT Kharagpur acknowledged that its ICC has no SC/ST/OBC members, and only IIT Palakkad reported having one SC and one OBC member. Hence, where laws, guidelines and scrutiny exist, institutions comply, however imperfectly. Where no such framework binds them, as with SC/ST cells, they lapse into inaction.
This is the strongest argument for statutory backing, whether through steps like the Rohith Act, long demanded by student movements, or through enforceable UGC regulations, that would subject SC/ST cells to the same standards of scrutiny as ICCs.
Inadequate mental health support
The UGC guidelines on Uniform Mental Health Policy for Higher Educational Institutions says: Currently, a ratio of 1 mental health professional/ psychologist per 500 students at the higher education institutes may be considered (page 18). Only 3 of the 17 IITs meet this standard. Several large campuses operate at ratios of 1:1000 or worse with IIT–BHU reporting only one professional for every 4,750 students.
Notably, the IITs with the highest counts of deaths by suicide are precisely those with poor counsellor-to-student ratios.
From the data, 11 suicides out of 21 were of SC, ST or OBC students. However, most IITs have no SC, ST or OBC counsellors, and available counsellors are untrained and insensitive to caste dynamics. A student facing casteist humiliation is unlikely to find help from a counsellor who treats caste as a personal issue rather than a structural reality.
Under these conditions, counselling centres risk becoming instruments of institutional whitewashing, where discrimination and death caused by structural discrimination as individual mental health failures, thereby evading institutional responsibility.
The following table is based on RTI responses received by this author:

Violation of constitutional provisions
The interim report published on November 2025 by the Supreme Court-appointed National Task Force to Address Mental Health Concerns of Students and Prevent Suicides in Higher Educational Institutions had recommended that all vacant faculty positions must be filled within three months with priority given to posts reserved for candidates from marginalised and underrepresented communities.
It said that special recruitment drives may be held for faculty recruitment under various forms of reservations as per Union and state government rules (page 143). Even a year after these recommendations, which are meant to prevent the occurence of suicide in higher educational institutions, the administrations of these institution disregard them with ease. They do not care how many lives are lost as long as their caste hegemony is maintained.
IITs are legally mandated to implement reservations for all faculty positions and PhD admissions under the constitution, and they have been directed to implement reservation by the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019 as well. The government had also ordered IITs to conduct “mission mode” recruitment since 2022 to fill vacant reserved seats.
Yet, despite getting thousands of applications, IITs continue to flout the rules. These seats are instead filled by Savarna candidates appointed beyond their permitted share.
To dismantle Savarna hegemony in IITs, reserved posts should be filled and departments violating norms should be penalised. SC/ST cells should be given statutory backing with funding and counselling services should have diverse, trained and sensitised counsellors. We are paying for each day of delay in holding these institutions accountable with the lives of students.
Dr. Pranav Jeevan P holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from IIT Bombay. He has earlier studied quantum computing in IIT Madras and Robotics at IIT Kanpur.
(This article went live on November tenth, two thousand twenty six, at fifty-four minutes past one in the afternoon.)

RTI | Information Sought To Examine Recruitment Fairness Can't Be Denied For Failure To First Establish Irregularities: P&H High Court - By Aiman J. Chishti

Live Law: Haryana: Wednesday, 11 November 2026.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has set aside an order of the Haryana State Information Commission that refused to give an unsuccessful candidate the videography of the Band Skill Test in a Haryana Police recruitment.

The Commission had refused on the ground that the candidate had not shown prima facie malice or subversion of the assessment.
Justice Kirti Singh held, “The right to seek information cannot be made dependent upon the information seeker first establishing the very irregularity which the information is sought to examine. Such a requirement would defeat the purpose of seeking access to the relevant record. Where the information sought directly relates to the assessment of candidates in a public recruitment process, the requirement of transparency and accountability assumes significance.”
The petitioner, a Backward Class-B (BC-B) candidate, applied for the post of Bandsman (Constable) in Haryana Police under an advertisement dated 30.11.2022. The selection was out of 100 marks, The Band Skill Test was itself split into three parts: scales and instrument (25), self-choice music (25) and sight reading (10). It was conducted under videography.
The final list published in February 2024 gave only the names of the selected candidates. The single BCB post in the Brass Band went to another candidate.
The petitioner then filed a writ petition, in which the State disclosed the marks. Both candidates had scored 13.6 in the Knowledge Test, but they differed sharply in the Band Skill Test. He withdrew that petition with liberty to pursue his remedies.
He had earlier filed an RTI application seeking the answer sheets, marks and Band Skill Test videography of the BC-B candidates. The application went through the following stages:
The State Public Information Officer (SPIO) refused it under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, on the ground that it concerned other applicants. The first appellate authority upheld that refusal.
In second appeal, the State Information Commission directed release of the marks, but declined the videography because “no material had been placed on record to establish malice or prima facie subversion of the assessment process.”
The petitioner argued that the videography was the contemporaneous record of a public recruitment examination conducted by a State authority, not private material. The State argued that the process was properly conducted and that the selected candidate scored higher on merit. It also pointed out that the petitioner had applied for the Bass Drum and the selected candidate for the Bb Clarinet, and maintained that the recording was exempt under Section 8(1)(j).
The Court relied on the Delhi High Court's decision in UPSC v. N. Sugathan (2011), which held that a candidate overlooked for a public post “is entitled to know the reasons which prevailed with the appointing/recommending authority for preferring another over him.” It also relied on the Chhattisgarh High Court's decision in Kewal Singh Gautam v. State of Chhattisgarh, which held that conducting and evaluating a departmental examination is a public activity.
Justice Kirti said, “The principle emerging therefrom is that information having a direct nexus with a public recruitment process cannot be denied merely by labelling it as personal information, without examining the nature of the information sought and the applicability of the statutory exemption.”
The Court noted that the Band Skill Test carried 60 of the 100 marks, and that “the difference in the overall merit is substantially attributable to the marks awarded in the Band Skill Test, the very assessment whose recording is sought by the petitioner.”
On the difference in instruments, the Court said this “does not, by itself, answer the question” of whether the recording is exempt. It added, “The present proceedings are not concerned with determining the comparative musical proficiency of the two candidates or the correctness of the marks awarded to them. The limited issue is whether the petitioner can be denied access to the contemporaneous record of a test conducted as part of a public recruitment process.”
On the Section 8(1)(j) exemption, the Court held, “the recording is not an unrelated personal document but forms part of the record of the assessment conducted by a public authority for recruitment to public posts. The mere fact that the recording also contains the performance of other candidates would not, by itself, justify withholding the entire information from an unsuccessful candidate who had participated in the same recruitment process and seeks access to the record having a direct bearing on the selection.”
In the light of the above, the petition was allowed. The Commission's order dated 22.01.2026 was set aside to the extent that it denied the videography, and the authorities were directed to provide the information to the petitioner within 30 days.
(To Read the full text of the Order CLICK HERE)

RTI data show 192 active fire locations recorded so far in 2026, against 4,753 in 2021; Haryana has utilised Rs 933.96 crore of the funds released over 9 years

The Tribune: Chandigarh: Tuesday, 10 November 2026.
Haryana farm fires hit lowest level since 2021 as Centre releases Rs 1,220 crore for stubble management

The Centre has released Rs 1,220.42 crore to Haryana over the past nine years under the Crop Residue Management (CRM) scheme to curb stubble burning. Of this, Rs 933.96 crore has been utilised by the state authorities so far, according to information obtained under the RTI Act from the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
The sustained efforts appear to have yielded results, with farm fires recording their lowest number since 2021. A comparison of Active Fire Locations (AFLs) during the paddy harvesting season, as of November 9, shows that Haryana recorded just 192 such locations in 2026. This is the lowest figure for the corresponding period in the past six years.
The state had recorded 333 AFLs in 2025, 959 in 2024, 1,676 in 2023, 2,693 in 2022 and 4,753 in 2021.
The figures assume significance as stubble burning is considered a major contributor to seasonal air pollution in the National Capital Region. The CRM scheme aims to encourage farmers to manage paddy residue through in-situ and ex-situ methods instead of burning it in their fields.
Year-wise figures furnished by the Centre show that Rs 137.84 crore was released in 2018-19, Rs 192.06 crore in 2019-20, Rs 170 crore in 2020-21, Rs 193.35 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 223.46 crore in 2022-23.
The releases subsequently declined to Rs 90 crore in 2023-24, Rs 75 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 90 crore in 2025-26. Another Rs 48.71 crore was released during 2026-27 so far, taking the total allocation over the nine-year period to Rs 1,220.42 crore.
The utilisation figures for the available years show that Haryana spent Rs 106.58 crore in 2018-19, Rs 127.16 crore in 2019-20, Rs 208.89 crore in 2020-21, Rs 178.33 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 86.84 crore in 2022-23.
According to the RTI response, the state reported nil utilisation in 2023-24, followed by expenditure of Rs 226 crore in 2024-25 and just Rs 16 lakh in 2025-26. The cumulative utilisation stood at Rs 933.96 crore.
The RTI response also provides year-wise figures for Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), which facilitate farmers’ access to agricultural machinery for crop residue management.
The state had 10,627 such centres in 2018-19, 14,078 in 2019-20, 29,020 in 2020-21, 19,059 in 2021-22, 7,641 in 2022-23, 10,620 in 2023-24, 9,844 in 2024-25 and 9,885 in 2025-26. The cumulative figure stands at 1,10,774 CHCs.
Meanwhile, district-wise active fire location data also point to a considerable decline in farm fires over the past six years. The latest figures show a nearly 42 per cent decline compared with the corresponding period in 2025 and a nearly 96 per cent drop compared with 2021.

"Recent RTI replies reveal alarming PG doctor resignations across AIIMS and JIPMER, citing toxic culture, lack of support, and brutal 36-hour shifts."

OC Academy: New Delhi: Tuesday, 10 November 2026.

Recent disclosures under the Right to Information Act highlight a worrying surge in PG doctor resignations across India's top medical colleges. Specifically, junior resident doctors are actively quitting residency seats at institutes like AIIMS and JIPMER. Consequently, these departures expose severe structural flaws within prestigious postgraduate medical training programs.
Data Reveals Extent of PG Doctor Resignations
Official RTI data reveals widespread resignations across multiple premier campuses. For instance, AIIMS Delhi recorded 34 junior resident departures during 2025. Although this marks a drop from 60 exits in 2024, total student intake also dropped from 324 to 267. Moreover, anaesthesiology suffered the heaviest attrition with seven departures, while ophthalmology lost six trainees. Surgery and pathology each lost three residents during the same period.
Furthermore, JIPMER Puducherry witnessed 44 resident resignations across its January and July batches in 2025. This figure reflects a 27% decline compared to 60 exits in 2024. Nevertheless, exits persisted across vital departments such as emergency medicine, orthopaedics, and general surgery. In addition, new AIIMS institutes faced comparable retention struggles. AIIMS Rishikesh lost 30 postgraduate doctors in 2025. Meanwhile, AIIMS Raipur and AIIMS Kalyani recorded 19 and 15 departures respectively.
Underlying Causes Driving Resident Physician Exits
Young physicians earn these coveted seats after clearing intense national examinations. Therefore, their premature exit underscores severe systemic distress. The United Doctors Front highlighted several recurring grievances reported by trainees. Residents frequently work grueling shifts extending past 36 continuous hours without adequate rest. In addition, doctors face toxic workplace hierarchies and routine harassment from senior faculty.
Consequently, persistent sleep deprivation degrades cognitive function and harms clinical judgment. Many resident doctors also endure severe burnout and emotional isolation. Unfortunately, medical institutes fail to maintain adequate psychological support infrastructure. For example, AIIMS Delhi stated that it maintains no compiled records on resident psychiatric counselling. Similarly, AIIMS Raipur reported zero resident counselling sessions, while AIIMS Kalyani withheld relevant mental health data. As a result, the United Doctors Front filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court to demand enforceable working-hour limits.
Regulatory Reforms and Institutional Accountability
Healthcare administrators must urgently address the structural gaps that drive doctors away. First, regulatory authorities must strictly cap continuous duty hours. Prolonged duty cycles compromise patient safety and violate basic resident welfare. Furthermore, national bodies must mandate transparent grievance redressal committees independent of local department heads.
Additionally, healthcare institutions must actively monitor trainee mental health. Deans must provide confidential psychological counseling and destigmatize psychiatric care among medical professionals. Without meaningful institutional accountability, top hospitals will continue to lose brilliant clinicians. Protecting resident well-being ultimately ensures better healthcare delivery across the entire medical ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Why are postgraduate doctors quitting premier institutions like AIIMS?
Residents cite excessive shifts exceeding 36 hours, toxic work culture, harassment, and inadequate mental health support.
Q2: Did AIIMS Delhi record a decrease in resident resignations in 2025?
Yes, AIIMS Delhi saw 34 resignations in 2025 compared to 60 in 2024. However, total resident admissions also fell from 324 to 267.
Q3: What legal actions are medical associations taking regarding resident working hours?
The United Doctors Front filed a Supreme Court petition to enforce duty hour limits and establish independent grievance cells.
References:

1. Postgraduate doctors quit premier medical institutes, shows RTI reply - ETHealthworld
2. 477 PG medicos quit courses midway at AIIMS, JIPMER in last 3 years - Medical Dialogues
3. 186 PG students quit AIIMS campuses in 2025: RTI info - The Tribune

Right to Information: A vital tool for empowering people: CIC chief

BSS: Dhaka: Tuesday, 10 November 2026.
Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Prof Dr Nahrin Islam Khan today said right to information (RTI) is a fundamental human right and it is considered as a vital tool for the empowerment of the people.

Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Prof Dr Nahrin Islam Khan

She made the remarks during a session titled "Right to Information Act, 2009," held as part of a foundational training course for 9th-grade officials of the city corporations at the National Institute of Local Government (NILG) here.
During the session, the CIC discussed the core provisions of the "Right to Information Act, 2009," the process for obtaining information, the roles of designated officers responsible for providing information and the duties and responsibilities of relevant institutions in implementing the law.
The CIC chief said the effective implementation of the "Right to Information Act, 2009" is crucial for ensuring transparency and accountability in government activities and for establishing good governance.
She urged the government officials to work with sincerity, a sense of responsibility and a positive attitude to ensure the public's right to information.
Addressing the trainees, the CIC chief expressed her hope that, following this training, they would become more aware of the Right to Information Act. She encouraged them to ensure the proper application of the act within their respective workplaces, thereby making public services more transparent, accountable and citizen-friendly.
Thirty 9th-grade officials from city corporations participated in this foundational training programme on the Right to Information Act.

CIC flags lapses, asks Animal Husbandry Ministry to fix Animal Welfare Board’s RTI listing

The Print: New Delhi: Tuesday, 10 November 2026.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying to pursue the correction of the Animal Welfare Board of India’s (AWBI) administrative details on the online RTI portal and designate information officers for its Animal Welfare Division, flagging shortcomings in the body’s mandatory disclosures under the transparency law.

The directions came while disposing of complaints filed by applicant Naresh Kadyan against the AWBI, which functions under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
Information Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar Jindal noted that the complainant’s primary grievance concerned the Board’s alleged failure to comply with the proactive disclosure requirements under Section 4 of the Right to Information Act.
The complainant submitted that the information uploaded on the Board’s website was outdated and that its administrative control continued to be incorrectly reflected under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on the online RTI portal.
The CIC also took note of the AWBI’s submission that steps were being taken to rectify the issue.
“The commission is of the view that shortcoming in the disclosure by the public authority is against the mandate of Sections 4(1)(a) and 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act, 2005, which cast a statutory obligation upon public authorities to maintain records properly and to ensure accurate and timely dissemination of information,” the order said.
The commission directed the Secretary and First Appellate Authority of AWBI to “undertake a comprehensive review of the board’s website and the records uploaded thereon” and ensure that “complete, accurate, and up-to-date proactive disclosures” mandated under Section 4 are published “in letter and spirit”.
It also directed the Joint Secretary (Animal Welfare Board) in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying to “proactively pursue” the matter with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for the formal alignment of AWBI as a public authority under the department on the online RTI portal.
Further, the department was directed to designate Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs) and First Appellate Authorities (FAAs) for its Animal Welfare Division in accordance with Section 5 of the RTI Act.
The order noted that the complainant had also raised the issue of the department not having designated a CPIO for the Animal Welfare Division, making it difficult for citizens to file RTI applications.
The commission observed that the AWBI had written to the DoPT on February 19, 2025, and May 2, 2026, but the necessary correction on the online RTI portal was yet to be effected. PTI MHS KSI
(This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.)