Karnataka HC Reprimands RTI Activist Who Filed 9,646 Applications, Orders Recovery Of Rs 9.6 lakh From Him.

ETV Bharat: Bangaluru: Sunday, January 12, 2025.

The activist had approached the HC after his first appeal before the Executive Officer and second appeal before the State Information Commission were rejected.

The Karnataka High Court reprimanded an RTI activist for filing 9,646 RTI applications seeking 'irrelevant' information with malafide intention’ from 14 departments of the Karnataka government besides ordering recovery of Rs 9,64,600 from him towards the court fees. The High Court also upheld the Karnataka Information Commission's order to reject the petitioner’s appeal.

Hearing the petition filed by Davalsab M Miyanavar, an RTI activist from Hubballi, challenging the State Information Commission's decision to reject 9,646 applications he filed under RTI, the HC in its September 25 2024 verdict which was uploaded recently on its website, expressed serious concerns about such practices terming them abuse of the legal process.

"The petitioner’s conduct in filing thousands of RTI applications across multiple departments without any legitimate reason or cause constitutes an abuse of the process of law. Because of such practices, the disposal of genuine applications filed with good intentions is getting delayed," Justice Sachin Shankar Magdum said while dismissing the petition.

The Justice also rejected Davalasab’s plea for allowing him to withdraw his petition without paying the requisite court fees. "This request is not acceptable as it would set a dangerous precedent and could encourage others to misuse the RTI Act and legal provisions without facing any consequences," the Justice said, directing the HC Registrar to initiate a legal process to recover the court fees from Davalasab.

Davalasab, a native of Hubballi, had approached the high court after his first appeal before the Executive Officer, Navalgund Taluk Panchayat and second appeal before the State Information Commission were rejected on the grounds that the information sought by him was unnecessary and filled with malafide intention.

Davalasab had filed 9,646 RTI applications in several districts including Bagalkot, Ballari, Vijayapura, Bengaluru Urban, Davanagere, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Hassan, Gadad. Of these applications 3,737 pertained to the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, 964 to the Public Works Department and 492 to Horticulture Department.

Interestingly, the Chief Information Commission had set up a full member bench to hear Davalasab's appeal going by the huge number of applications. After hearing, the RTI bench rejected Davalasab's petition in August 2023 saying entertaining such petitions filed with malafide intentions would adversely affect the administrative efficiency besides resulting in wasting public resources. Later, Davalasab approached the High Court against the Information Commission's order.