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Kerala State Information Commission

Kerala State Information Commission
Established19 December 2005
LocationSecretariat Postal Address:Government Secretariat, Government of Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, PIN - 695001. General Administration Department:2nd Floor, North Block

Secretariat, Statue, Thiruvananthapuram.[1]
Mottoसूचना जनाधिकार:॥ (Soochna Janadhikaraha) Information is the right of the people. (Sanskrit)
Authorised byRight to Information Act, 2005
Judge term length3 years from the date of entering office or up to 65 years of age (whichever is earlier)
Websitehttps://gad.kerala.gov.in/sic
State Chief Information Commissioner
CurrentlyV Hari nair

Kerala State Information Commission is an autonomous and statutory body constituted by the state government of Kerala through a notification in official Gazette.

History and objective

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Kerala State Information Commission has to be constituted as per The Right to Information Act, 2005 by the State Governments in India through a notification in official Gazette.[2]

Kerala State Information Commission is formed to take up the following:[3]

  • Appeals on the information shared by various government entities under the Right to Information Act.
  • Complaints on refusal to give information or in relation to inability to file Right to Information Act.
  • Commission should get annual report from various departments working in the state about complaints received under Right to Information Act, 2005 and their responses on the same.

Kerala Information Commission occasionally conducts awareness programmes on implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 effectively by general public.

Tenure and service

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Any vacancy in the State Information Commission has to be filled within six months from the date of vacancy.[4]

Kerala Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), Information Commissioner (IC) and State Information Commissioner's salaries, allowances and other service terms and conditions are equivalent to a Judge of the Supreme Court.[5]

Powers and functions

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The commission under powers granted to it can secure from the public authorities compliance of any of its decisions.

Commission is duty bound to receive and conduct enquiry into any complaint received from any person.

The commission has civil judicial authority for issuing summons requiring examination of any witnesses or related documents or any other prescribed matters relating to complaint.

Any provision under which summons were issued and as per which attendance is required of persons and requires them to give written or oral evidence under an oath and producing documents or other details relevant to it.

Provision requiring evidence on stamped affidavit.

Powers relating to request from any court or office of any public record.

Commission under the powers can recommend steps which can be taken for confirming to the provisions of the act if any public authority fails to do so.

Challenges

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Kerala State Information Commission are overburdened with backlog cases, similar to Central Vigilance Commission.[6] A shortage of available staff has produced a backlog of cases filed.[7][8] Uttar Pradesh has the largest backlog as of October 2014. States like Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura didn't have pending complaints.[9] State Information Commission as per the provision has limited to provide information and cannot take any action.

In spite of above limitation, Kerala State Information Commissions plays a crucial role in ensuring transparency in public life and supports in greater way in checking corruption, combating oppression, preventing nepotism and misuse of the public authority.

A survey conducted by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, showed that most State Information Commission in India were inactive during Covid pandemic.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Kerala Information Commission". Kerala Information Commission. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  2. ^ "State Information Commission: Composition, Power and Functions". jagranjosh.com. 30 March 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  3. ^ "The decline of India's right to information regime, in four charts". livemint. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  4. ^ "SC Asks States for Updates on Vacancies, Pendency in Information Commissions". The Wire. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  5. ^ "RTI Bill 2019: Undermining autonomy of information commissions and transparency in governance". indiatoday.in. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  6. ^ Mishra, Soni (27 August 2020). "Central Information Commission headless for 5th time in 6 years". the week. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  7. ^ sharma, nidhi (11 October 2021). "Info commissions have a waiting time of over one year for an applicant seeking information under RTI Act: Report". economictimes. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Over 32,000 RTI appeals pending with Central Information Commission: Govt". thehindu.com. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  9. ^ "21 of 29 state information commissions did not hold any RTI hearings during lockdown". The Print. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  10. ^ "State information commissions inactive during COVID-19: Survey". downtoearth. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
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