Srinagar, Apr 29: Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of Jammu and Kashmir GR Sufi Sunday said the disclosure of information about human rights violations and corruption by public authorities is mandatory and cannot be exempted in any circumstances under the state law. “Bringing departments out of the purview of the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information (RTI) Act - 2009, doesn’t mean that they can withhold information over human rights and corruption,”...

-The Deccan Herald In a decision that is likely to reveal the names of judges against whom complaints have been filed in the Law Ministry, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Law Ministry to make public the forwarding letters attached with such complaints that are forwarded to the Supreme Court and High Courts. The transparency panel gave this direction while hearing the RTI plea of activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal, who...

SIC Declares Bank As Public Authority; Invokes Maharaja’s Order, Appointment Of Directors, Removal Of Drabu As Grounds Srinagar, Apr 24: In a significant judgment, the State Information Commission (SIC) on Tuesday ruled that J&K Bank Limited is a Public Authority under Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act-2009, entitling people to seek information from the premier financial institution of the State. Announcing the decision, the full Bench of SIC comprising Chief Information...

Do psychiatry patients have the right to access records of their treatment? While the Central Information Commission (CIC) directed a mental health hospital to provide this information to a patient, the hospital has moved court citing confidentiality. The Delhi High Court has given the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) a stay order against disclosing the information till the next hearing in September. The case pertains to a 32-year-old married...

BHOPAL: The state government move to appoint chief information commissioner (CIC) by the end of April may hit a roadblock with the Supreme Court stating Friday that it would lay down guidelines to ensure that posts of information commissioners at the centre and state commissions do not become "property of a political set-up". The post of state's CIC is lying vacant following the retirement of P P Tiwari on March 26...