High courts have failed to adhere to the Central Information Commission's directive to follow the Right to Information (RTI) Act rulebook. CIC, the final appellate authority for RTI Act, had ordered all the high courts to disclose complete information of the organisation, employees, salaries drawn, decisions taken and budget allocated, on their websites by April 1. However, not a single high court has complied with the direction. In January, CIC Satyananda...

-The Times of India   A letter from the office of India's Central Information Commission to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently raises serious concerns over two proposals to amend the Right to Information Act through the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (NSRA) Bill 2011, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha last September. The first amendment seeks to exempt sensitive information on nuclear radiation safety issues and commercially sensitive information on technology holders from...

-The Hindu The Central Information Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs.25,000 on the Public Information Officer of the Delhi Government's Urban Development Department for violating provisions of the Right to Information Act by delaying furnishing of information to the appellant on regularisation of unauthorised colonies. The appellant, Bhupender Singh Rawat, who is convener of non-government organisation Jan Sangharsh Vahini, had sought details on 13 points from the Urban Development Department. When...

Did the Supreme Court confirm that sports bodies selecting national teams were public authorities? At least the people opposing the move appear to think so. Minutes of anIndian Olympic Association (IOA) meeting in May 2011 -- accessed through RTI -- suggest that the members were informed of the SC order and were studying the contents.  The interpretation could have a bearing on the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI)...

-The Deccan Herald The Central Information Commission (CIC) has warned government officials against denying information to an Right to Information (RTI) applicant on the ground that the fee has been wrongly deposited in the name of an officer or has been forwarded through a particular mode. Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra said the officials could not make these excuses in dealing with RTI applications. “We would only like to place it on record...