RTI applicants face year-long wait for hearings in Haryana

The Right to Information (RTI) Act, introduced in 2005 to promote transparency and accountability in government functioning, is facing delays at the second-appeal stage in Haryana, with some applicants having to wait nearly a year for their cases to be heard by the State Information Commission.

Sirsa-based RTI applicant Inderjit Adhikari filed a second appeal before the Haryana State Information Commission on March 25, 2026. His hearing has been scheduled for April 6, 2027, more than 12 months after the appeal was filed.

“I sought information about a vehicle hired by the New and Renewable Energy Department, Sirsa. After receiving incomplete information, I filed the first appeal, but the matter remained unresolved. Now, I have been given a hearing date more than a year after filing the second appeal,” Adhikari said.

Adhikari had filed the RTI application on July 10, 2025, and the first appeal on September 25. The first appellate authority heard the matter on December 30 and directed that the information be provided.

In another case, social worker Gulshan Kumar of Faggu village filed a second appeal on March 11, 2026. The commission has fixed March 17, 2027 for the hearing.

“I had sought information on 27 points regarding the patwari holding additional charge of Faggu village. It included details about his Urdu qualification, papers passed during training and official work done in Urdu. I received incomplete information, after which I approached the commission,” Kumar said.

Adhikari said, under the RTI Act, applicants could file a first appeal if information was not provided within the prescribed period and a second appeal before the State Information Commission if the matter remained unresolved, he added. Both applicants said such long gaps between appeals and hearings could reduce the usefulness of information, particularly when it was sought in connection with ongoing administrative matters.