NCPRI organized a public hearing a day before the annual convention of CIC
13 Oct, 2012National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) organized a public hearing a day before the annual convention of state and central information commissioners. It recorded a participation of around 400 RTI users across 16 states. The hearing focused on depravities of the system and recommended a resolution for better functioning. Many cases were discussed at a public hearing which included the outcomes of RTI application filed by the Satark Nagrik Sangathan on behalf of deprived people. The hearing underlined various important aspects in the field of RTI such as:
- The number of applications and cases pending with the information commissioners continue to rise despite an internal order at the CIC had decided to clear 3,200 cases per commissioner annually.
- According to a RTI applicant, in response to his application the commission gave three sets of figures and for some they did not even have the break - up of appeals and cases disposed. He claimed that some of the figures have even changed on re-application.
- Emphasis was also laid on the problems of appointment of information commissioners, attack on activists, non- imposition of penalties etc.
- The activists also recommended for a time-bound mechanism for disposing off cases at the level of information commissions, publishing the status of cases on websites and to be objective in the appointment of commissioners.