Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has expressed serious concern over the prolonged inactivity of the state’s Information Commission, directing the government to make it operational without delay. During the hearing on a public interest petition filed by Birendra Singh, a division bench comprising Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice A.K. Rai issued strict instructions to the state authorities.
Government Assures Quick Action
During Thursday’s proceedings, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan informed the court that the Jharkhand government is taking steps to reactivate the Information Commission and expects it to be fully functional within four weeks.
Chief Secretary Appears in Court
The state’s Chief Secretary Avinash Kumar, along with the Secretary of Personnel, Administrative Reforms, and Official Language Department, were present in court. In a previous hearing, the court had warned that failure to activate the commission could lead to contempt proceedings against responsible officials. Consequently, the Chief Secretary and Personnel Secretary were summoned to appear in person.
Commission Dormant for Nearly Five Years
The petitioner highlighted that the state Information Commission has remained inactive for almost five years. All positions of Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners are currently vacant. This has left citizens without a forum to file second appeals under the Right to Information Act, 2005, forcing many to approach the High Court and unnecessarily burdening the judiciary.
Petition Filed After Information Denied
Birendra Singh had requested certain information under the Right to Information Act, 2005. When the stipulated 30-day period passed without a response, he filed a first appeal. However, the concerned department failed to provide the information, and with the state Information Commission non-functional, he had no forum for a second appeal. As a result, Singh approached the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution.
After hearing the government’s assurances, the bench granted four weeks for the commission to become fully operational.