Tribune India: Haryana: Monday, 22 December 2025.
Enacted to ensure transparency and empower citizens through access to official records, the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 was once seen as a formidable tool to curb corruption. Two decades on, however, activists in the state allege that the law is being steadily hollowed out through administrative inertia, selective interpretation and chronic delays.
RTI activists claim that
information is now routinely denied by invoking the exemption of “personal
information”, often without applying the test of larger public interest. RTI
activist PP Kapoor alleged that state public information officers (SPIOs) appeared
to be “trained more in refusing information than in providing it within the
statutory framework”.
“Even at the first appellate stage within departments and during second appeals before the State Information Commission, authorities selectively cite Supreme Court judgments and restrictive provisions to block disclosure,” Kapoor said.
Highlighting procedural violations, an RTI applicant shared his experience of filing four applications through the state’s online portal with the Education Department and the Police in August. “Despite the mandatory one-month deadline, no replies were received. Even the first appeals failed to evoke any response, though appellate authorities are equally bound by timelines,” he said.
Kapoor pointed to staff shortages crippling the Haryana State Information Commission (HSIC). Against a sanctioned strength of one Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and 10 State Information Commissioners (SICs), the Commission is currently functioning with just one CIC and six SICs.
“As a result, hearings are pushed back by several months, and certified copies of orders take two to three months to reach applicants. The situation is worsening, even compared to regular courts, indicating a visible attempt to stifle the flow of information,” he alleged.
He further claimed that penalties imposed on erring SPIOs are rarely enforced. “Nearly Rs 2.5 crore in penalties is pending recovery. I approached the Lokayukta, but the complaint remains unresolved,” Kapoor said.
Echoing these concerns, Subhash, convener of the Haryana Soochna Adhikar Manch, alleged a lack of political and bureaucratic will to uphold transparency. “Authorities are legally required to promote awareness of the RTI Act, but little effort has been made. There is no structured training for SPIOs, and in some cases even sarpanches are designated as SPIOs without adequate understanding of the law,” he said.
Subhash added that many government offices do not display mandatory details of SPIOs and appellate authorities. He said that as of the end of March, 4,775 appeals were pending before the HSIC, underscoring the mounting backlog.
While acknowledging misuse of the Act in some cases, Subhash argued against blanket restrictions. “There are instances where RTI is used to settle personal scores or intimidate officials. The Commission should identify and deal firmly with such misuse rather than denying information across the board,” he said.
Despite repeated representations and protests including demonstrations outside the HSIC in Chandigarh activists see little intent to strengthen the transparency regime. “The RTI Act may not be repealed, but it is being weakened systematically,” Subhash alleged.
He also expressed concern over the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which removed the earlier safeguard permitting disclosure of personal information in cases of larger public interest. “This has made it much easier for authorities to reject RTI applications by citing ‘personal data’, raising serious questions about the future of transparency and accountability,” he added.
Enacted to ensure transparency and empower citizens through access to official records, the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 was once seen as a formidable tool to curb corruption. Two decades on, however, activists in the state allege that the law is being steadily hollowed out through administrative inertia, selective interpretation and chronic delays.
“Even at the first appellate stage within departments and during second appeals before the State Information Commission, authorities selectively cite Supreme Court judgments and restrictive provisions to block disclosure,” Kapoor said.
Highlighting procedural violations, an RTI applicant shared his experience of filing four applications through the state’s online portal with the Education Department and the Police in August. “Despite the mandatory one-month deadline, no replies were received. Even the first appeals failed to evoke any response, though appellate authorities are equally bound by timelines,” he said.
Kapoor pointed to staff shortages crippling the Haryana State Information Commission (HSIC). Against a sanctioned strength of one Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and 10 State Information Commissioners (SICs), the Commission is currently functioning with just one CIC and six SICs.
“As a result, hearings are pushed back by several months, and certified copies of orders take two to three months to reach applicants. The situation is worsening, even compared to regular courts, indicating a visible attempt to stifle the flow of information,” he alleged.
He further claimed that penalties imposed on erring SPIOs are rarely enforced. “Nearly Rs 2.5 crore in penalties is pending recovery. I approached the Lokayukta, but the complaint remains unresolved,” Kapoor said.
Echoing these concerns, Subhash, convener of the Haryana Soochna Adhikar Manch, alleged a lack of political and bureaucratic will to uphold transparency. “Authorities are legally required to promote awareness of the RTI Act, but little effort has been made. There is no structured training for SPIOs, and in some cases even sarpanches are designated as SPIOs without adequate understanding of the law,” he said.
Subhash added that many government offices do not display mandatory details of SPIOs and appellate authorities. He said that as of the end of March, 4,775 appeals were pending before the HSIC, underscoring the mounting backlog.
While acknowledging misuse of the Act in some cases, Subhash argued against blanket restrictions. “There are instances where RTI is used to settle personal scores or intimidate officials. The Commission should identify and deal firmly with such misuse rather than denying information across the board,” he said.
Despite repeated representations and protests including demonstrations outside the HSIC in Chandigarh activists see little intent to strengthen the transparency regime. “The RTI Act may not be repealed, but it is being weakened systematically,” Subhash alleged.
He also expressed concern over the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which removed the earlier safeguard permitting disclosure of personal information in cases of larger public interest. “This has made it much easier for authorities to reject RTI applications by citing ‘personal data’, raising serious questions about the future of transparency and accountability,” he added.
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