What is the number of appeals pending with the Central Information Commission?
20 Apr, 2013An analysis of the orders of the Central Information Commission (CIC) was put on the website www.rtifoundationofindia.com wherein it was recommended that the disposal done by each of the Information Commissioner should be put on the website. Please refer to the link - http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/analysis-orders-cic-rti-study-4-2271 the suggestion part of which specifically says “An option should be made available for a visitor of the CIC site to see the disposal of cases by each of the Information Commissioner by his name too. The CIC website should have an option to view the daily disposal of cases by the Commission. This would put pressure on the individual Information Commissioner to perform better”.
It was pleasing to note that the monthly disposal of cases by each of the Information Commissioners at the Central Information Commission (CIC) has been put on the website of CIC. The data has been put up w.e.f. January, 2013. This is a welcome change for which the CIC needs to be applauded. The data related to the disposal was down-loaded in March, 2013 and I was planning an article on the new system of reporting of cases by the CIC. It was primarily noticed that:
- The earlier reporting of cases which was existing on the CIC website, has been removed.
- The earlier data was not carrying any figures of receipt of cases for the second half of the year 2012 and no reasons for non-reporting the same are on the site.
- There appeared little co-relation between the closing balance of cases as per the earlier reporting system and the opening balance in the new reporting system.
Just as the article was being finalised, it was observed in the second week of April that the figures reported on the CIC website have suddenly undergone a sea change and the Monthly Progress Report has a different set of data. There is no explanation for the new set of figures on the CIC website and such abrupt alteration of facts looks bizarre. With the numbers differing by thousands, the data also has many infirmities.
- As per the data, the Chief Information Commissioner Shri Satyananda Mishra has not passed any orders in the past four months. This is contrary to facts and as a matter of fact, this site has reported many recent orders passed by him.
- The figure of disposal of cases by the other Information Commissioners also appears to be contradictory / wrong.
- It is not known what is the exact figures of receipt and disposal of cases at the CIC.
- With two set of numbers, no meaningful analysis can be done when it is not even known which data is correct.
In the past, the CIC had taken notice of the fact that some of the decisions of all the disposed cases are not uploaded on the website promptly and number of decisions reflected on the website is less than actual cases disposed during the month. During the meeting dated 08.01.2013, the Commission directed that each registry would ensure uploading decisions after its pronouncement immediately on website. The Commission further directed that the pendency figures regarding cases should be reconciled latest by the end of January 2013 and should be placed on its website in the beginning of February, 2013. More than three months later, the mix-up of data continues. Your site www.rtifoundationofindia.com carried the earlier article - Is the CIC maintaining its website as per the section 4 of the RTI Act? Link - http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/cic-maintaining-its-website-section-4-rti-act-3143
The conflicting statistics is a matter of great concern and calls for an explanation. Would the reasons for such contradictory numbers come to light? In the past meeting, the responsibility was left to the data entry operator level of officers by the CIC. With an average monthly disposal of just over 2000 cases a month, the CIC is on a weak wicket in terms of the disposal of cases. The heap of pending case is becoming larger just as the hope of a citizen of obtaining information from the Information Commission in a time bound manner is on the decline. Behind the maze of figures appears the stark reality of piling of the appeals and complaints in the Information Commissions in the country.
Such reporting of figures puts a question mark before the credibility of the CIC. The Chief Information Commissioner must order a detailed probe and put up the correct figures before the nation to set the things in order. A new table having the complete receipt and disposal of cases by the CIC needs to be added to the overall figures.
Annexure I
Figures in green were downloaded in March, 2013 while those in red were downloaded in 09.04.2013 from the CIC website. Just as the article was being uploaded on the website today, a new set of figures is seen on the CIC site.
Shri Satyananda Mishra, Chief Information Commissioner
Shri Satyananda Mishra, CIC –As on 9.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 12945 343 0 13288
2013 February 13288 150 0 13438
2013 March 13438 309 0 13747
2013 April 13747 19 0 13766
Shri Satyananda Mishra, CIC as on 20.04.2003
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 1247 343 297 1293
2013 February 1293 150 318 1125
2013 March 1125 308 221 1212
2013 April 1212 62 100 1174
Mrs Annapurna Dixit, Information Commissioner
Mrs Annapurna Dixit, IC as on March, 2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 2447 930 0 3377
2013 February 3377 434 254 3557
2013 March 3557 469 226 3800
Mrs Annapurna Dixit, IC As On 09-04-2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 17889 929 0 18818
2013 February 18818 434 0 19252
2013 March 19252 510 0 19762
2013 April 19762 402 0 20164
Mrs Annapurna Dixit, IC As On 20-04-2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 2449 929 0 3378
2013 February 3378 434 256 3556
2013 March 3556 510 279 3787
2013 April 3787 469 69 4187
Shri M L Sharma, Information Commissioner
Shri M L Sharma, IC as on March 2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 1837 283 322 1798
2013 February 1798 249 281 1766
2013 March 1766 166 115 1817
Shri M L Sharma, IC as on 09.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 13847 283 0 14130
2013 February 14130 249 0 14379
2013 March 14379 166 0 14545
2013 April 14545 40 0 14585
Shri M L Sharma, IC as on 20.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 1849 283 321 1811
2013 February 1811 249 281 1779
2013 March 1779 166 235 1710
2013 April 1710 80 28 1762
Mrs Sushma Singh, Information Commissioner
Mrs Sushma Singh, IC as on March 2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 3012 324 264 3072
2013 February 3073 211 200 3084
2013 March 3083 96 168 3011
Mrs Sushma Singh, IC as on 09.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 12583 324 0 12907
2013 February 12907 211 0 13118
2013 March 13118 221 0 13339
2013 April 13339 99 0 13438
Mrs Sushma Singh, IC as on 20.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 3012 324 264 3072
2013 February 3072 210 201 3081
2013 March 3081 221 229 3073
2013 April 3073 99 142 3030
Mrs Deepak Sandhu, Information Commissioner
Mrs Deepak Sandhu, IC as on March 2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 1879 322 205 1996
2013 February 1938 196 238 1896
2013 March 1896 187 219 1864
Mrs Deepak Sandhu, IC as on 09.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 11170 266 0 11436
2013 February 11436 196 0 11632
2013 March 11632 211 0 11843
2013 April 11843 128 0 11971
Mrs Deepak Sandhu, IC as on 20.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 1869 264 205 1928
2013 February 1928 196 238 1886
2013 March 1886 211 254 1843
2013 April 1843 144 184 1803
Shri Vijai Sharma, Information Commissioner
Shri Vijai Sharma, IC as on March 2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 4890 257 268 4879
2013 February 4879 98 159 4818
2013 March 4818 65 154 4729
Shri Vijai Sharma, IC as on 09.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 8699 312 0 9011
2013 February 9011 98 0 9109
2013 March 9109 65 0 9174
2013 April 9174 106 0 9280
Shri Vijai Sharma, IC as on 20.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 4889 257 268 4878
2013 February 4878 98 160 4816
2013 March 4816 65 171 4710
2013 April 4710 133 123 4720
Shri Rajiv Mathur, Information Commissioner
Shri Rajiv Mathur, IC as on March 2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 3194 186 174 3206
2013 February 3206 74 291 2989
2013 March 2989 58 177 2870
Shri Rajiv Mathur, IC as on 09.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 5753 187 0 5940
2013 February 5940 74 0 6014
2013 March 6014 58 0 6072
2013 April 6072 57 0 6129
Shri Rajiv Mathur, IC as on 20.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 3197 186 174 3209
2013 February 3209 74 291 2992
2013 March 2992 58 258 2792
2013 April 2792 77 122 2747
Shri Basant Seth, Information Commissioner
Shri Basant Seth, IC as on March 2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 3192 352 310 3234
2013 February 3234 305 163 3376
2013 March 3376 305 142 3539
2013 April 8478 159 0 8637
Shri Basant Seth, IC as on 09.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 7515 352 0 7867
2013 February 7867 305 0 8172
2013 March 8172 306 0 8478
2013 April 8478 159 0 8637
Shri Basant Seth , IC as on 20.04.2013
Year Month Opening Balance Admitted Disposed Closing Balance
2013 January 3198 352 310 3240
2013 February 3240 305 163 3382
2013 March 3382 306 182 3506
2013 April 3506 191 78 3619