The Central Information Commission (CIC)—the statutory guardian of transparency under the Right to Information (RTI) Act—is being urged to overhaul two critical aspects of its functioning: ensuring automatic priority for senior citizens’ petitions and swift redressal of non-compliance with its own orders.
Senior Citizens: Time for Mandated Priority, Not Discretion
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Currently, priority hearings for senior citizens (65+) are discretionary, varying between commissioners’ registries.
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This inconsistency undermines accessibility, especially for the elderly facing:
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Health concerns
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Limited mobility
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Poor access to legal aid
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Recommendation:
Make automatic priority hearings for senior citizens mandatory across all benches, removing arbitrary discretion.
“Uniform compassion must replace selective convenience,” urge transparency advocates.
CIC Verdicts Ignored: A Blow to RTI Integrity
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A growing number of public authorities are ignoring CIC orders, especially those with weak transparency records.
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This willful non-compliance results in:
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Erosion of CIC’s authority
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Additional legal burden on petitioners
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Delays that defeat the purpose of timely information access
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“Just as justice delayed is justice denied, information delayed is information denied.”
Recommendation:
Institutionalize a dedicated weekly hearing slot for non-compliance petitions across all CIC benches.
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Timeline Target: No such petition should remain unresolved beyond 30 days.
The RTI Act Already Empowers CIC—It Must Now Act
Under existing provisions, the CIC has the authority to enforce compliance, but these powers are underutilized:
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Section 20:
Imposes monetary penalties on Public Information Officers (PIOs) for non-compliance.
→ Call: Apply penalties strictly. -
Section 25(5):
Enables recommendation of disciplinary action against erring officers.
→ Call: Exercise this power more frequently to deter systemic defaulters. -
Section 19(8)(b):
Allows CIC to order compensation for petitioners harassed by negligence or delay.
→ Call: Use proactively in documented cases of institutional apathy.
Special Note: The Way Forward
To restore faith in the RTI mechanism, the CIC must:
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Institutionalize empathy-driven reforms for senior citizens.
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Enforce a zero-tolerance policy against non-compliance.
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Show greater will to use punitive provisions already available under law.
The CIC’s credibility—and the efficacy of India’s transparency framework—depends on its ability to act with speed, sensitivity, and strength.
Let justice not be a matter of interpretation, but of implementation.
