📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Prime Minister's Office
Politics
West Bengal’s State Information Commission faces 3.7 million pending RTI appeals
✍️ The Economic Times
🗓 13 Oct 2026, 04:16 AM
👁 13
The West Bengal State Information Commission is grappling with a backlog of roughly 3.7 million Right‑to‑Information appeals awaiting a verdict, underscoring mounting pressure on the state’s transparency framework.
The State Information Commission (SIC) of West Bengal has reported that about 3.7 million appeals filed under the Right‑to‑Information (RTI) Act are still pending a final decision. The figure, disclosed in a recent statement, reflects a steep rise in the backlog over the past few years.
Officials attribute the surge to a combination of increased RTI filings, limited judicial capacity within the commission, and procedural delays. The pending cases span a wide range of subjects, from public service recruitment to infrastructure projects, highlighting the broad impact of the delay on citizens seeking information.
The commission has warned that the growing docket could undermine the effectiveness of the RTI law, which is intended to promote transparency and accountability in governance. While no specific timeline for clearing the backlog has been announced, the SIC has indicated that it is exploring measures such as additional staffing and expedited hearing procedures.
Stakeholders, including civil‑society groups, have urged the state government to allocate more resources to the commission and to consider legislative reforms that could streamline the appeal process. Until such steps are taken, the backlog is likely to persist, affecting the public’s ability to obtain timely information.
The situation places West Bengal among several Indian states confronting similar challenges in managing RTI appeals, prompting a broader debate on how to strengthen the country's information‑access mechanisms.
Officials attribute the surge to a combination of increased RTI filings, limited judicial capacity within the commission, and procedural delays. The pending cases span a wide range of subjects, from public service recruitment to infrastructure projects, highlighting the broad impact of the delay on citizens seeking information.
The commission has warned that the growing docket could undermine the effectiveness of the RTI law, which is intended to promote transparency and accountability in governance. While no specific timeline for clearing the backlog has been announced, the SIC has indicated that it is exploring measures such as additional staffing and expedited hearing procedures.
Stakeholders, including civil‑society groups, have urged the state government to allocate more resources to the commission and to consider legislative reforms that could streamline the appeal process. Until such steps are taken, the backlog is likely to persist, affecting the public’s ability to obtain timely information.
The situation places West Bengal among several Indian states confronting similar challenges in managing RTI appeals, prompting a broader debate on how to strengthen the country's information‑access mechanisms.