RTI appeals hit dead end as Information Commission remains headless in Himachal
Shimla, Dec 13,
The Right to Information Act, once projected as a cornerstone of transparency in public life, has effectively stalled in Himachal Pradesh, with the State Information Commission (SIC) remaining non-functional for months due to the absence of its top officials.
Since July this year, the posts of Chairman and two Information Commissioners in the Himachal Pradesh State Information Commission have remained vacant, leaving citizens with no statutory forum to challenge the denial of information by government departments. The prolonged delay has sparked concern among transparency advocates and RTI users, who say the law has been reduced to a paper right.
Although the state government has issued an advertisement to fill the vacant positions, the appointment process has shown little movement. The legally mandated selection committee—comprising the Chief Minister, the Leader of Opposition and the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha—has yet to finalise any names, prolonging the paralysis of the appellate mechanism under the RTI framework.
The vacuum has had real consequences on the ground. Rajinder Bhan, a retired police officer, says he has been unable to pursue information regarding the alleged disappearance of nearly 70 official files from a capital based police station. According to Bhan, his RTI applications were rejected at the departmental level, and with the first appellate authority also denying relief, there is no higher forum available due to the non-existence of the Commission.
“With no Information Commission in place, citizens are being told to explore ‘alternative remedies’. That defeats the entire purpose of the RTI Act,” Bhan said. He pointed out that following the retirement of former SIC Chairman R.D. Dhiman and another commissioner, the Commission has virtually ceased to exist.
Bhan further alleged that despite court directions in his favour relating to his service records, he has been unable to trace files that he believes were deliberately removed. He claimed that an official handling records at the said police station was later transferred out of the district without any accountability being fixed. “RTI is meant to identify responsibility, but without an appellate authority, there is no closure,” he said.
Academics and civil society members echo similar concerns. Himachal Pradesh University Assistant Professor B.S. Negi described the RTI Act as one of the most transformative legislations of the UPA era, which exposed corruption and empowered ordinary citizens. He warned that administrative inaction was hollowing out the law’s intent.
“Whether by design or neglect, the RTI framework is being weakened. At the Centre it has been diluted structurally, and in Himachal it is being allowed to collapse administratively,” Negi said, adding that delays in appointments undermine public trust in governance.
The irony, critics point out, is that the RTI Act was championed Nationally by the Congress-led UPA, yet in Himachal Pradesh, a Congress government has allowed the statutory watchdog to remain defunct for over six months.
Until the Information Commission is reconstituted, RTI applicants in the state remain stuck at the first appeal stage, with no independent authority to enforce transparency—turning a hard-won democratic right into a procedural dead end.
About the Author
The HimachalScape Bureau comprises seasoned journalists from Himachal Pradesh with over 25 years of experience in leading media conglomerates such as The Times of India and United News of India. Known for their in-depth regional insights, the team brings credible, research-driven, and balanced reportage on Himachal’s socio-political and developmental landscape.