Moneylife: National: Tuesday, 29 July 2025.
Indian citizens residing
abroad, including non-resident Indians (NRIs), remain deprived of the
opportunity to participate in virtual hearings of right to information (RTI)
appeals and complaints, a critical gap that threatens the core of India’s
transparency regime. Commodore (Cmde) Lokesh K Batra (retd), a leading
transparency campaigner, has once again raised an alarm over the continued
digital exclusion of NRIs from the RTI process. In an open letter last week
addressed to Dr Jitendra Singh, minister of state in the prime minister’s
office (PMO) and the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions,
Cmde Batra has urged urgent intervention.
“The Minister may recall his response in the Lok Sabha in respect of question no3535 of 8 August 2018 on the subject ‘online RTI applications’,” begins the letter.
Cmde Batra refers to Dr Singh’s own written reply in Parliament, where the government had unequivocally stated: “All citizens of India have the right to seek information under the provisions of RTI Act, 2005. NRI citizens are eligible to file RTI applications.” This affirmation was part of an official response to an unstarred question posed by member of Parliament (MP) Jugal Kishore in the Lok Sabha.
Despite this position, Indian citizens abroad remain unable to participate in appeal proceedings due to the absence of online hearing facilities before the central information commission (CIC). In his letter, Cmde Batra highlights the central issue: “Indian citizens living abroad and NRIs are unable to exercise the full potential of their right to information (RTI) due to lack of facilities and modalities for the virtual RTI case hearings.”
The situation reflects a stark contradiction between official assurances and operational reality. While over 2,200 public authorities have been integrated into the online RTI portal (rtionline.gov.in), and while Indian courts, including the Supreme Court, have adopted hybrid hearing models, no such mechanism has been instituted at the CIC to enable NRIs to present their appeals virtually.
Since the inception of the RTI Act in 2005, Cmde Batra has played a pivotal role in shedding light on critical issues, including the PM CARES Fund, the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and the 2007 Nithari killings investigation. His efforts also led to the introduction of electronic Indian postal orders (e-IPO), empowering Indians living abroad to seek information through the RTI Act.
Cmde Batra’s campaign on this front is longstanding. He had earlier filed a complaint with the CIC in 2009, highlighting two major obstacles faced by NRIs lack of a clear mode of payment for RTI fees and absence of access to appeal hearings. This led to several rounds of inter-ministerial consultations involving the department of personnel and training (DoPT), ministry of external affairs (MEA), and ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA), culminating in the 2013 launch of the e-IPO system. This facility enabled Indians abroad to pay RTI fees online, and was later expanded for domestic use in 2014. The RTI online portal, launched on 22 April 2013, further simplified the process by allowing electronic filing of RTIs and appeals.
These reforms, largely driven by Cmde Batra’s relentless efforts, were hailed as landmark advancements in India’s transparency framework. Yet, a key functionality virtual hearings remains conspicuously absent. Cmde Batra notes in his correspondence that the infrastructure already exists to allow secure video conferencing, and that enabling this would not require any major financial or policy overhaul.
In fact, back in 2010, the CIC itself had observed the need for online participation and recommended that the DoPT frame suitable guidelines. The commission had held meetings involving top officials from concerned ministries and issued directions under section 25(5) of the RTI Act, recommending that a system be developed 'to facilitate the accessibility of the RTI Act by the Indians living abroad'.
The commission’s order, issued after a hearing chaired by information commissioner Annapurna Dixit, acknowledged the legitimacy of the demand and even suggested that a solution could be implemented within six months.
Despite these acknowledgements and historical progress, no update has been provided by DoPT on any system or proposal to facilitate virtual hearings for Indian citizens abroad. Cmde Batra recently filed another RTI application from the US on 6 March 2025 via the RTI online portal, seeking information on whether such a system had been developed or discussed. The lack of a clear response only reinforces concerns about administrative inertia and disregard for citizens abroad.
In his latest open letter, Cmde Batra makes a simple and urgent plea: “I humbly appeal to the minister for his kind intervention to facilitate ‘virtual RTI case hearings for the Indian citizens’ abroad and NRIs to ensure robust ‘transparency regime’.”
He adds, “My communication is in public domain.” The call is especially significant as Parliament is in session and lawmakers are debating issues central to public interest and citizen engagement.
The irony is not lost on RTI activists. At a time when India projects itself globally as a digital-first democracy, the exclusion of a large, tech-savvy segment of its own citizenry from basic rights like virtual hearing access undermines this narrative. Indian citizens abroad and NRIs include students, professionals, researchers, and even Indian diplomats posted abroad. Their inability to participate in RTI hearings not only violates the spirit of the Act but also weakens public accountability.
Cmde Batra's appeal, once again, brings the spotlight back on a promise yet to be fulfilled. As the government celebrates its strides in digital governance and transparency, this glaring omission continues to deny thousands of Indian citizens their rightful access to justice under the RTI Act. The question now is whether the government will act or whether, despite all past assurances, the silence will continue.
“The Minister may recall his response in the Lok Sabha in respect of question no3535 of 8 August 2018 on the subject ‘online RTI applications’,” begins the letter.
Cmde Batra refers to Dr Singh’s own written reply in Parliament, where the government had unequivocally stated: “All citizens of India have the right to seek information under the provisions of RTI Act, 2005. NRI citizens are eligible to file RTI applications.” This affirmation was part of an official response to an unstarred question posed by member of Parliament (MP) Jugal Kishore in the Lok Sabha.
Despite this position, Indian citizens abroad remain unable to participate in appeal proceedings due to the absence of online hearing facilities before the central information commission (CIC). In his letter, Cmde Batra highlights the central issue: “Indian citizens living abroad and NRIs are unable to exercise the full potential of their right to information (RTI) due to lack of facilities and modalities for the virtual RTI case hearings.”
The situation reflects a stark contradiction between official assurances and operational reality. While over 2,200 public authorities have been integrated into the online RTI portal (rtionline.gov.in), and while Indian courts, including the Supreme Court, have adopted hybrid hearing models, no such mechanism has been instituted at the CIC to enable NRIs to present their appeals virtually.
Since the inception of the RTI Act in 2005, Cmde Batra has played a pivotal role in shedding light on critical issues, including the PM CARES Fund, the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and the 2007 Nithari killings investigation. His efforts also led to the introduction of electronic Indian postal orders (e-IPO), empowering Indians living abroad to seek information through the RTI Act.
Cmde Batra’s campaign on this front is longstanding. He had earlier filed a complaint with the CIC in 2009, highlighting two major obstacles faced by NRIs lack of a clear mode of payment for RTI fees and absence of access to appeal hearings. This led to several rounds of inter-ministerial consultations involving the department of personnel and training (DoPT), ministry of external affairs (MEA), and ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA), culminating in the 2013 launch of the e-IPO system. This facility enabled Indians abroad to pay RTI fees online, and was later expanded for domestic use in 2014. The RTI online portal, launched on 22 April 2013, further simplified the process by allowing electronic filing of RTIs and appeals.
These reforms, largely driven by Cmde Batra’s relentless efforts, were hailed as landmark advancements in India’s transparency framework. Yet, a key functionality virtual hearings remains conspicuously absent. Cmde Batra notes in his correspondence that the infrastructure already exists to allow secure video conferencing, and that enabling this would not require any major financial or policy overhaul.
In fact, back in 2010, the CIC itself had observed the need for online participation and recommended that the DoPT frame suitable guidelines. The commission had held meetings involving top officials from concerned ministries and issued directions under section 25(5) of the RTI Act, recommending that a system be developed 'to facilitate the accessibility of the RTI Act by the Indians living abroad'.
The commission’s order, issued after a hearing chaired by information commissioner Annapurna Dixit, acknowledged the legitimacy of the demand and even suggested that a solution could be implemented within six months.
Despite these acknowledgements and historical progress, no update has been provided by DoPT on any system or proposal to facilitate virtual hearings for Indian citizens abroad. Cmde Batra recently filed another RTI application from the US on 6 March 2025 via the RTI online portal, seeking information on whether such a system had been developed or discussed. The lack of a clear response only reinforces concerns about administrative inertia and disregard for citizens abroad.
In his latest open letter, Cmde Batra makes a simple and urgent plea: “I humbly appeal to the minister for his kind intervention to facilitate ‘virtual RTI case hearings for the Indian citizens’ abroad and NRIs to ensure robust ‘transparency regime’.”
He adds, “My communication is in public domain.” The call is especially significant as Parliament is in session and lawmakers are debating issues central to public interest and citizen engagement.
The irony is not lost on RTI activists. At a time when India projects itself globally as a digital-first democracy, the exclusion of a large, tech-savvy segment of its own citizenry from basic rights like virtual hearing access undermines this narrative. Indian citizens abroad and NRIs include students, professionals, researchers, and even Indian diplomats posted abroad. Their inability to participate in RTI hearings not only violates the spirit of the Act but also weakens public accountability.
Cmde Batra's appeal, once again, brings the spotlight back on a promise yet to be fulfilled. As the government celebrates its strides in digital governance and transparency, this glaring omission continues to deny thousands of Indian citizens their rightful access to justice under the RTI Act. The question now is whether the government will act or whether, despite all past assurances, the silence will continue.