14 साल बाद चंडीगढ़ गोल्फ क्लब RTI के दायरे में:हाईकोर्ट ने याचिका खारिज की; एक महीने में व्यवस्था बनाने के आदेश

Dainik Bhaskar: Chandigarh: Sunday, June 21, 2026.

पंजाब एंड हरियाणा हाईकोर्ट ने चंडीगढ़ गोल्फ क्लब को बड़ा झटका देते हुए उसे सूचना का अधिकार (RTI) अधिनियम के दायरे में माना है। अदालत ने क्लब को एक महीने के भीतर RTI के तहत जानकारी उपलब्ध कराने के लिए जरूरी व्यवस्था बनाने के निर्देश दिए हैं। इसके साथ ही हाईकोर्ट ने वर्ष 2012 में केंद्रीय सूचना आयोग (CIC) द्वारा क्लब को "पब्लिक अथॉरिटी" घोषित करने के आदेश को बरकरार रखा है।
यह मामला पिछले करीब 14 वर्षों से कानूनी प्रक्रिया में था। वर्ष 2012 में केंद्रीय सूचना आयोग ने कहा था कि चंडीगढ़ गोल्फ क्लब को सरकारी जमीन, सुविधाओं और अन्य प्रकार का पर्याप्त लाभ मिलता है, इसलिए वह RTI कानून के तहत सार्वजनिक प्राधिकरण की श्रेणी में आता है। इसके खिलाफ क्लब ने पंजाब एवं हरियाणा हाईकोर्ट में याचिका दायर कर दी थी। अब अदालत ने क्लब की याचिका खारिज करते हुए CIC के फैसले को सही ठहराया है।
एक महीने में RTI लागू करने की व्यवस्था बनाने के आदेश
न्यायमूर्ति कुलदीप तिवारी ने शुक्रवार को कहा कि अब चंडीगढ़ गोल्फ क्लब को भी पारदर्शिता और जवाबदेही के नियमों का पालन करना होगा। अदालत ने माना कि क्लब को भले ही सीधे सरकारी पैसा नहीं मिलता, लेकिन उसे सरकारी जमीन और अन्य सुविधाओं का लाभ मिलता है। इसलिए क्लब RTI कानून से बाहर नहीं रह सकता।
चंडीगढ़ गोल्फ क्लब को लेकर लंबे समय से पारदर्शिता की मांग उठती रही है। कई सदस्यों ने भी क्लब के प्रशासनिक और वित्तीय मामलों में जानकारी न मिलने को लेकर आपत्ति जताई थी। क्लब अब तक RTI के दायरे में नहीं था, जिसके कारण सदस्यता, खर्च, फैसलों और प्रशासनिक कार्यप्रणाली से जुड़ी जानकारी आसानी से उपलब्ध नहीं हो पाती थी। इस मुद्दे को लेकर वर्षों से विवाद और कानूनी लड़ाई चल रही थी।
लोक सूचना अधिकारी नियुक्त करना होगा
हाईकोर्ट के इस फैसले के बाद अब क्लब के सदस्य ही नहीं, बल्कि कोई भी नागरिक RTI के जरिए क्लब के प्रशासन, वित्तीय प्रबंधन, सदस्यता नियमों, खर्चों और अन्य सार्वजनिक महत्व की जानकारी मांग सकेगा। क्लब को इसके लिए लोक सूचना अधिकारी (PIO) नियुक्त करना होगा और RTI अधिनियम के तहत तय समय सीमा में जवाब देना होगा।
अदालत ने यह भी माना कि चंडीगढ़ गोल्फ क्लब शहर की सरकारी जमीन पर संचालित हो रहा है और प्रशासन का इसके संचालन पर पर्याप्त प्रभाव और नियंत्रण है। इसलिए सार्वजनिक संसाधनों का लाभ लेने वाली संस्था होने के नाते क्लब को पारदर्शिता और जवाबदेही के मानकों का पालन करना होगा।

132 illegal bleaching units sealed in Panipat, Environmental Compensation imposed on only 3: RTI

The Tribune: Panipat: Sunday, June 21, 2026.
The HSPCB’s Regional Office in Panipat stated that orders regarding the imposition of EC on 26 illegal bleaching units were still pending

An illegal bleaching unit in Panipat. File photo

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has sealed 132 bleaching units found to be operating illegally in Panipat for allegedly polluting groundwater and water bodies, including the Yamuna River. However, environmental compensation (EC) has been imposed on only three units so far.
According to information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Delhi-based environmentalist Varun Gulati, the HSPCB’s Regional Office in Panipat stated that orders regarding the imposition of EC on 26 illegal bleaching units were still pending. The reply, however, did not specify how much compensation had been recovered.
Gulati had sought details of illegal bleaching units operating in the district from January 1, 2016 onwards, including closure orders issued by the HSPCB, names and addresses of the units, proprietors’ details, dates of closure, environmental compensation imposed, dates of imposition and the basis for calculating the compensation.
In its reply, the HSPCB stated that action had been initiated against 132 illegal bleaching units operating in the district. Environmental compensation has so far been imposed on three units. These include Rs 35.20 lakh on a bleaching unit in Karhans village, which was closed in 2023, Rs 2.12 lakh on a bleaching unit in Jattal in 2018 and Rs 1.75 lakh on another bleaching unit in Jattal during the same year.
Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had taken suo motu cognisance of a news report published in The Tribune highlighting environmental concerns arising from illegal bleaching units in Panipat. According to the report, these units were allegedly discharging chemical-laden wastewater directly into drains and open land in violation of environmental norms.
The HSPCB identified 32 such illegal bleaching units, many of which were allegedly releasing untreated effluents into water channels that eventually flow into the Yamuna River.
In an order dated August 29, 2025, the NGT directed the HSPCB to complete the process of levying and recovering environmental compensation from these 32 units within three months. However, according to the RTI reply, compensation has not yet been imposed on these units.
Gulati alleged that the HSPCB had not taken adequate action against illegal bleaching units in Panipat. He claimed that while closure proceedings had been initiated against 132 units, environmental compensation had not been imposed on 103 of them over the past decade.
He further said that despite the NGT’s directions, compensation has not been levied on the 32 units identified last year.
Gulati also claimed that complaints regarding 62 additional illegal bleaching units had recently been submitted to the HSPCB. According to him, many of these units are operating on agricultural land in villages including Naultha, Dahar, Binjhol, Balana, Paldi, Kurar, Didwadi, Mandi, Israna, Gwalda, Pardhana, Chamrara and Nara, among others in the district.

BharatNet’s last mile woes: just 45 per cent connections active : RTI

The Indian Express: New Delhi: Sunday, June 21, 2026.
According to government officials, the scheme was faltering on various parameters, with active connections, in-use Wi-Fi hotspots, last-mile connectivity, funds leakages, and confusing tariff structures.
LESS THAN half the number of connections targeted until March 2026 by the government as part of BharatNet its ambitious rural broadband connectivity programme were actively using the service, with new customer additions seeing a steady decline over the last three years, data obtained by The Indian Express under the Right to Information (RTI) Act showed.

“Fibre reaches GPs (Gram Panchayats) but not the actual hotspot location or village community. This last-mile problem is real and acute in rural Gram Panchayats,” said Wi-Fi provider Wiom, commenting on BharatNet’s “last-mile gap”.

As of March this year, a total of 13.23 lakh (13,22,842 to be precise) fixed connections were commissioned under BharatNet, as opposed to a target of 18 lakh. However, only about 8.01 lakh connections were actively being used, the RTI data showed.
According to government officials, the scheme was faltering on various parameters, with active connections, in-use Wi-Fi hotspots, last-mile connectivity, funds leakages, and confusing tariff structures.
Pegged to be the world’s largest rural fiber optic network, BharatNet is the government’s flagship rural broadband initiative. It is designed to bridge the digital divide by providing high-speed internet to all Gram Panchayats and connecting remote communities to digital public services, education, healthcare, and entrepreneurial opportunities.
While mobile internet has seen significant penetration in the country owing to data becoming more affordable post 2016, it provides basic connectivity for daily browsing and payments. BharatNet is essential to deliver high-capacity, uninterrupted fixed-line broadband to rural areas. It could serve as the digital backbone necessary to support heavy data usage, rural e-governance, and seamless digital healthcare, while avoiding network congestion. Mobile internet is typically not well suited for such high-data use cases.
An earlier March 2025 report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communication and Information Technology, said there were 12.24 lakh fixed broadband connections provided under BharatNet until January 2025. Tallied with the numbers obtained by this paper through the RTI, it means that only around 98,842 new connections were added in the next 14 months until March 2026 (to take the number to 13.23 lakh), which is just a little over 7,000 new connections per month. But it is the active usage of the service where the scope of the project is faltering further, an official said.
The Parliamentary committee had specifically noted that usage of the network remains suboptimal despite the availability of underlying infrastructure. It had also flagged an under-utilisation of funds, noting that the revised estimates for the scheme in 2024-25 was Rs 6,500 crore, of which only 48%, or Rs 3,145 crore were spent.
Overall, the Department of Telecommunications had set a target of 18 lakh fixed broadband connections under the BharatNet scheme until March 2026. That means – at 13.23 lakh commissioned connections – only about 73% of the target was met until March in terms of commissioned, or available connections. With just 8.01 lakh active users, more than 55% of the target number of 18 lakh continued to remain inactive.
Data obtained through RTI also showed there was a progressive slowdown in solidifying the user base for BharatNet over the last three years, underscoring the lack of traction in the ambitious connectivity project. In 2023, the number of active users connected through the BharatNet scheme stood at 4.55 lakh, which fell drastically to 2.86 lakh additions in 2024, and further still to 2.08 lakh in 2025.
According to the government’s last publicly available data, 1.04 lakh public Wi-Fi hotspots were installed under the BharatNet scheme, but of this only 0.7% or 766 such hotspots were operational as of September 2025. The Wi-Fi service is a key way to ensure last-mile delivery of the connectivity scheme. This paper had sought the latest numbers for operational Wi-Fi hotspots in the RTI application, but the question was skipped in the response; an appeal has been filed. The Parliamentary committee had also raised concerns on the slow rollout of WiFi hotspots in its report: “the installation of 1,04,574 Wi-Fi hotspots across Gram Panchayats suggests that while infrastructure exists, its actual usage remains suboptimal. The Committee note with concern that despite the significant infrastructure rollout, BharatNet’s potential remains underutilised.”
In May, Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said, “Learning from the shortcomings of BharatNet (phase) 1 and 2, we have fixed the issues and are executing with full accountability. Currently, only 15 lakh rural households are connected. Our target is 1.5 crore households in the first phase”.
The Department of Telecommunications and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) did not respond to a request for comment until publication.
India launched the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) in 2011 to bring high-speed broadband to 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats using optical fibre cables, which later spawned into the BharatNet project. In 2012, Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL) was set up to manage the project, initially planned for completion by 2014. Delays led to its relaunch as BharatNet in 2015. Phase I targets were achieved only by 2017, and Phase II faced further delays despite revised deadlines. In June 2021, the project was expanded under Phase III to cover 6.5 lakh villages by 2025, with upgraded networks and last-mile partnerships. In 2022, the Union Cabinet approved the merger of BBNL with BSNL to speed up BharatNet rollout.
A year later, in 2023, the government launched the Rs 1.39 lakh-crore Amended BharatNet Program. The updated scheme promises to provide 1.5 crore fixed broadband connections across rural households, institutions and enterprises in India over a period of five years.
Another point of concern within the government has been the limited last-mile connectivity of BharatNet. “While fibre may have been laid till a Gram Panchayat, there are a number of cases where there is no connection beyond that. That means that the infrastructure is not reaching people where they might actually want to use the Internet, that is at their homes and workplaces,” a senior government official said.
In a recent consultation paper floated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on the proliferation of public Wi-Fi hotspots under the PM-WANI scheme, the regulator had said that existing infrastructure set up under BharatNet could be used to offer such a service in the country. However, in response to the paper, some stakeholders flagged the last-mile challenge related to BharatNet.
“The Authority (TRAI) has rightly noted that the success of public Wi-Fi deployment depends on the availability of reliable last-mile connectivity. Evidently, the BharatNet connectivity is not sufficient, otherwise this consultation was not required,” Reliance Jio said.
Broadband India Forum (BIF), a think tank representing tech companies, said, “While initiatives such as BharatNet have significantly improved middle mile reach in many parts of the country, the challenge of economically viable local last-mile distribution often continues to persist. In many cases, fibre may reach a Gram Panchayat or institutional node, but affordable and scalable extension from the aggregation point to local hotspots, public spaces, commercial establishments or community access locations may remain inadequate”.
“Fibre reaches GPs (Gram Panchayats) but not the actual hotspot location or village community. This last-mile problem is real and acute in rural Gram Panchayats,” said Wi-Fi provider Wiom, commenting on BharatNet’s “last-mile gap”.

132 Panipat bleach units shut in 10 years: RTI

Hindustan Times: Karnal: Sunday, June 21, 2026.
According to a reply under Right to Information, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board has imposed environmental compensation only on three such units

Three units fined, order awaited on 26, says pollution board. (HT Photo)

As many as 132 illegal bleach houses have been sealed in Panipat by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) in the last 10 years, revealed a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) reply. However, the board has imposed environmental compensation only on three such units, showed the document obtained by Delhi-based environmental activist Varun Gulati.
Gulati had sought information regarding the illegal bleach houses operating in the district since January 1, 2016, and the number of closures for the same period. The RTI, a copy of which is with HT, shows that the HSPCB imposed a penalty of ₹35.20 lakh on Unique Enterprises in Karhans of Samalkha town in September 2024, ₹2.12 lakh and ₹1.75 lakh on two unnamed bleach houses owned by Rakesh Kumar and Naresh Kumar, respectively, in Jattal village of Panipat in July 2019.
Regarding the penalty imposed on 26 units, the board mentioned “order awaited”. However, the board did not specify the amount deposited or the pendency, if any, as sought by Gulati. The HSPCB refused to share details of each prosecution against the illegal units, citing exemption under Section 8 (1)(h) of the RTI Act.
In August last year, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) took a suo moto cognisance of the operation of 32 illegal bleach houses in the district, after which the pollution board took action against them.
The RTI shows that the penalty imposition on these illegal bleach house owners was still pending. Just before his transfer on May 25, the then deputy commissioner, Virender Kumar Dahiya directed departments concerned to nominate officials within 10 days to conduct a detailed survey. Speaking with HT, Gulati said that the illegally operated units had been harming the the air and groundwater of Panipat for years.
“There should be an independent high-level inquiry into this whole matter and the negligent officials should be held accountable,” he added.

सूचना के अधिकार पर छत्तीसगढ़ हाईकोर्ट का बड़ा फैसला; डीएवी स्कूल को आरटीआई से मिली छूट, दंड भी रद

Nai Dunia: Bilaspur: Saturday, 20 June 2026.
हाईकोर्ट ने कोरबा स्थित डीएवी पब्लिक स्कूल से जुड़े एक अहम मामले में निजी स्कूलों को बड़ी राहत दी है। कोर्ट ने केंद्रीय सूचना आयोग के उस आदेश को निरस्त कर दिया है जिसमें स्कूल को आरटीआई के दायरे में लाने और प्राचार्य को दंडित करने की बात कही गई थी। न्यायाधीश अमितेंद्र किशोर प्रसाद की पीठ ने स्पष्ट किया कि डीएवी एक निजी संस्थान है

हाईकोर्ट ने एक महत्वपूर्ण निर्णय देते हुए स्पष्ट किया है कि डीएवी डीएवी पब्लिक स्कूल, जो एक निजी और स्व-वित्तपोषित शिक्षण संस्थान है, उसे ''''सूचना का अधिकार'''' आरटीआई अधिनियम के तहत ''''सार्वजनिक प्राधिकरण'''' नहीं माना जा सकता। कोर्ट ने केंद्रीय सूचना आयोग के उन आदेशों को निरस्त कर दिया है, जिनमें स्कूल को आरटीआई के दायरे में लाकर उसके प्राचार्य को ''''डीम्ड पीआईओ'''' के रूप में दंडित किया गया था।
यह मामला कोरबा स्थित डीएवी पब्लिक स्कूल से जुड़ा है। स्कूल प्रबंधन ने हाईकोर्ट में कई याचिकाएं दायर कर केंद्रीय सूचना आयोग के आदेशों को चुनौती दी थी। विवाद तब शुरू हुआ जब स्कूल में कार्यरत एक कर्मचारी की सेवा समाप्ति के बाद, उनके परिजनों ने आरटीआई के तहत स्कूल की आंतरिक कार्यप्रणाली और सेवा मामलों से जुड़ी जानकारी मांगी।
याचिकाकर्ता स्कूल की ओर से तर्क दिया गया कि डीएवी स्कूल एक निजी संस्था है, जिसे ''''दयानंद एंग्लो वैदिक कॉलेज ट्रस्ट एंड मैनेजमेंट सोसाइटी'''' द्वारा संचालित किया जाता है। स्कूल का न तो सरकारीकरण है और न ही इसे सरकार या एसईसीएल एसईसीएल से कोई ''''पर्याप्त वित्तीय सहायता'''' प्राप्त होती है, जो इसे आरटीआई के दायरे में लाए।
हाईकोर्ट की महत्वपूर्ण टिप्पणी
मामले की सुनवाई करते हुए हाईकोर्ट के न्यायाधीश अमितेंद्र किशोर प्रसाद की पीठ ने कानूनी बिंदुओं का गहन विश्लेषण किया। कोर्ट ने अपने आदेश में कहा कि स्कूल अपनी आय स्वयं फीस और अन्य माध्यमों से जुटाता है। एसईसीएल के साथ हुआ समझौता केवल एक अनुबंधात्मक व्यवस्था है, जिसमें एसईसीएल कर्मचारियों के बच्चों की फीस के घाटे की भरपाई की जाती है, जो ''''पर्याप्त वित्तीय सहायता'''' नहीं मानी जा सकती। स्कूल के प्रबंधन, प्रशासन या नीतिगत निर्णयों पर सरकार या किसी सरकारी निकाय का ''''गहरा और व्यापक नियंत्रण'''' नहीं है। आरटीआई अधिनियम की धारा 2(एच) के तहत ''''सार्वजनिक प्राधिकरण'''' होने के लिए स्वामित्व, नियंत्रण या पर्याप्त वित्तपोषण अनिवार्य है, जो इस मामले में सिद्ध नहीं होता।
अदालत का निर्णय
कोर्ट ने स्पष्ट किया कि जब संस्था स्वयं ही ''''सार्वजनिक प्राधिकरण'''' नहीं है, तो उसके प्राचार्य को ''''डीम्ड पीआईओ'''' मानना पूरी तरह से कानून सम्मत नहीं है। इस आधार पर हाईकोर्ट ने केंद्रीय सूचना आयोग के उन आदेशों को खारिज कर दिया, जिनमें स्कूल प्रबंधन को आरटीआई के तहत जानकारी देने और दंडित करने का निर्देश दिया गया था।

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