New Delhi: A new report by Satark Nagrik Sangathan has raised deep concern over the collapse of India’s Right to Information (RTI) framework. Two decades after the RTI Act empowered citizens to demand transparency, six state information commissions are now defunct, leaving millions without access to justice in governance.
The “Report Card on the Performance of Information Commissions in India, 2024–25” reveals that commissions in Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Tripura, and Madhya Pradesh have ceased to function due to unfilled vacancies. Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh remain completely non-functional, while several others operate with only partial strength.
The Central Information Commission, which should have eleven members, currently functions with only two. It has been without a Chief Information Commissioner for the seventh time in eleven years. Across India, over 4.13 lakh appeals and complaints await hearing, with some states facing staggering delays. Telangana’s projected waiting period is 29 years, Tripura’s 23 years, and Chhattisgarh’s 11 years.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, 27 commissions received 2,41,751 cases and managed to dispose of only 1,82,165. Most commissions failed to impose penalties even when justified, ignoring provisions meant to enforce accountability. The report also found that 20 of 29 commissions have not published their mandatory annual reports for 2023–24.
RTI activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri warned that this neglect undermines public trust. They stressed that citizens’ right to information is being eroded by administrative apathy and deliberate delay.
