Times of India: Nagpur: Tuesday, 30 December 2025.
The State Chief Information Commissioner, Rahul Pande, has come down heavily on MahaRail (Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd) for failing to respond to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by former MLA and minister of state, Avinash Warjukar, terming the lapse a serious violation of the RTI Act, 2005. The Commission observed that MahaRail lacked a clear, accountable and effective mechanism for dealing with RTI applications.
Warjukar had sought
information on 12 points through RTI applications dated February 15, 2024, and
January 23, 2025. The queries pertained to the establishment of MahaRail,
appointment of its managing director, technical and administrative approvals
for sanctioned works, and details of development projects undertaken by the
corporation.
As no information was provided within the stipulated period, Warjukar filed first appeal on February 25, 2025. When no hearing was conducted, he approached the Commission with a second appeal on April 11, 2025.
The appellant alleged that during a personal follow-up, MahaRail officials informed him that the RTI Act was not applicable to the corporation. Though MahaRail later communicated that a report would be submitted, no such report was placed on record.
The matter came up for hearing of the second appeal on October 14, 2025. Warjukar was personally present, along with the current Public Information Officer (PIO) and assistant manager (Public Relations) Vineet Toke, and the current First Appellate Authority (FAA) and manager (legal) Abhivrat Das. During the hearing, MahaRail officials sought additional time to submit clarifications in response to a hearing notice issued on September 5, 2025.
During the hearing, the current FAA clarified that the RTI Act applies to MahaRail and is being followed, expressing regret if any official had conveyed otherwise. The Commission found that much of the information was either absent or only partially available on the MahaRail website. It also noted that the earlier PIO and FAA were contractual employees who had since left service, creating ambiguity over accountability.
Considering these factors, the Commission partially allowed the second appeal and directed MahaRail to provide all available information on points 1 to 12 free of cost within two weeks, in line with Section 7(6) of the RTI Act. It also directed the submission of photocopies of the RTI application register and responses to the secretary of the Information Commission.
The CIC further directed the additional chief secretary, general administration department, to issue guidelines for appointing competent, full-time RTI staff in such authorities, and asked the current director of MahaRail to initiate appropriate administrative action over the lapses.
The State Chief Information Commissioner, Rahul Pande, has come down heavily on MahaRail (Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd) for failing to respond to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by former MLA and minister of state, Avinash Warjukar, terming the lapse a serious violation of the RTI Act, 2005. The Commission observed that MahaRail lacked a clear, accountable and effective mechanism for dealing with RTI applications.
As no information was provided within the stipulated period, Warjukar filed first appeal on February 25, 2025. When no hearing was conducted, he approached the Commission with a second appeal on April 11, 2025.
The appellant alleged that during a personal follow-up, MahaRail officials informed him that the RTI Act was not applicable to the corporation. Though MahaRail later communicated that a report would be submitted, no such report was placed on record.
The matter came up for hearing of the second appeal on October 14, 2025. Warjukar was personally present, along with the current Public Information Officer (PIO) and assistant manager (Public Relations) Vineet Toke, and the current First Appellate Authority (FAA) and manager (legal) Abhivrat Das. During the hearing, MahaRail officials sought additional time to submit clarifications in response to a hearing notice issued on September 5, 2025.
During the hearing, the current FAA clarified that the RTI Act applies to MahaRail and is being followed, expressing regret if any official had conveyed otherwise. The Commission found that much of the information was either absent or only partially available on the MahaRail website. It also noted that the earlier PIO and FAA were contractual employees who had since left service, creating ambiguity over accountability.
Considering these factors, the Commission partially allowed the second appeal and directed MahaRail to provide all available information on points 1 to 12 free of cost within two weeks, in line with Section 7(6) of the RTI Act. It also directed the submission of photocopies of the RTI application register and responses to the secretary of the Information Commission.
The CIC further directed the additional chief secretary, general administration department, to issue guidelines for appointing competent, full-time RTI staff in such authorities, and asked the current director of MahaRail to initiate appropriate administrative action over the lapses.
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