Expressing concern over the appreciable delay in offering replies to petitions filed beneath the Proper to Data Act, 2005, the Tamil Nadu Data Fee has urged the State authorities to facilitate on-line administration of RTI purposes/responses in all of the Departments of Secretariat, workplaces of the Heads of Departments and District Collectorates.
In a letter to the Chief Secretary, the then Chief Data Commissioner stated that the method of submitting RTI petitions by on-line mode had commenced, although not successfully, within the Departments of Secretariat and a few District Collectorates. Nevertheless, there was a number of confusion in that course of which in flip precipitated appreciable delay in furnishing replies by the Public Data Officers to the petitioners.Â
In the course of the enquiry earlier than the Fee, the PIOs had expressed issue in dealing with the RTI petitions on-line. “This requires pressing consideration in order that the prescribed time restrict of 30 days within the RTI Act for furnishing of reply by the PIOs will be strictly adhered to,†the then CIC Md. Shakeel Akhter stated in his letter despatched days earlier than his retirement from service final month.
Complaints of delay
He stated submitting of petitions beneath Part 6(1) and first appeals beneath Part 19(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, in all of the Departments of Secretariat, HODs/District Collectorates had not been achieved thus far and due to that a number of petitioners complained on this challenge once they attended the enquiry within the Fee. Mr. Akhter was appointed as CIC in June 2023 and he held the publish for 3 years.
“It’s excessive time steps are taken to make submitting of petitions beneath Part 6(1) and first appeals beneath Part 19(1) by on-line for all of the Departments of Secretariat, HODs/District Collectorates,†he stated.
Mr. Akhter stated the Act was enacted with the preamble to advertise transparency and accountability within the working of each public authority with a purpose to strengthen the core constitutional values. It meant harmonising the conflicting pursuits of governance to protect the confidentiality of delicate info and the rights of residents to know the functioning of presidency processes in such a means as to protect the paramountcy of the democratic preferrred.
He stated the hyperlink to the official web site of the Fee may very well be offered to the web site administration for info of all stakeholders in order that anyone might file petitions beneath the Act by the hyperlink aside from the present working course of.
Proactive disclosureÂ
In his earlier communication, Mr. Akhter drew the eye of the State authorities to Part 4(2) of the Act which emphasised on offering a lot info suo motu to the folks at common intervals by varied technique of communication, together with web, in order that candidates made minimal use of this Act to acquire info.
Printed – July 09, 2026 02:04 am IST
