Lok Sabha Question No. 7 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-07
Subject: Pending Cases under RTI Act
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Srinivas Kesineni, Manickam Tagore B

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL & TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 7

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.12.2022)

## PENDING CASES UNDER RTI ACT

## 7. SHRI KESINENI SRINIVAS: SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B.:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether a large number of complaints and appeals under Right To Information Act, 2005 are  pending  with  Information  Commissions  across  the  country  and  if  so,  the  details thereof, State-wise;
- (b) whether backlog of appeals or complaints are increasing in Commissions every year and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether several Commissions  including  the Central Information  Commission  are working at reduced capacity with less than stipulated number of members and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  the  Andhra  Pradesh  State  Information  Commission  presently  does  not  have  a Chief Information Commissioner and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether the appointments of Information Commissioners have not been made in a timely manner and that out of 165 posts of Information Commissioners, 42 are still vacant and if so, the reasons therefor; and
- (f) the details and percentage of representation of the Women Information Commissioners and Chief Information Commissioners in Information Commissions across the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

(a) & (b):   State-wise data on appeals/complaints under the RTI Act is maintained by respective state governments. However, as far as Central Information Commission is concerned, the status of the pendency in respect of Central Information Commission is as follows:

|   No. | Year (as on 31 st March)   |   No. of Second Appeals/ Complaints pending |
|-------|----------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
|     1 | 2021                       |                                       38116 |
|     2 | 2022                       |                                       29213 |
|     3 | 30 th November, 2022       |                                       19289 |

(c)  to  (f):  As  per  the  provisions  of  the  Section  12(2)  of  the  RTI  Act,  2005,  the  Central information Commission shall consist of-

- a) The Chief Information Commissioner and
- b) Such  number  of  Central  Information  Commissioners, not  exceeding  ten ,  as  may  be deemed necessary.

Presently the Chief Information Commissioner and seven Information Commissioners are in position  in  the  Central  Information  Commission.  Out  of  these  7  Information  Commissioners, three are women.

As  per  Section  15  of  the  RTI  Act,  2005,  the  filling  up  of  vacancies  of  Information Commissioners  in  State  Information  Commission  is  the  subject  matter  of  respective  State Governments.  The  data  in  respect  the  vacancies  of  Chief  Information  Commissioner  and Information Commissioners in the State Information Commissions is maintained by the States.

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