The Right to Information (RTI) Act, introduced in 2005 to promote transparency and accountability in government functioning, is facing serious delays at the second-appeal stage in Haryana. Some applicants are now waiting nearly a year for their cases to be heard by the State Information Commission.
RTI applicant in Sirsa waits over a year for hearing date
Sirsa-based RTI applicant Inderjit Adhikari filed a second appeal before the Haryana State Information Commission on March 25, 2026. His hearing has been scheduled for April 6, 2027 — more than 12 months after the appeal was filed.
Adhikari's case involves a request for information about a vehicle hired by the New and Renewable Energy Department, Sirsa. After receiving incomplete information, he filed the first appeal, but the matter remained unresolved.
"I sought information about a vehicle hired by the New and Renewable Energy Department, Sirsa. After receiving incomplete information, I filed the first appeal, but the matter remained unresolved. Now, I have been given a hearing date more than a year after filing the second appeal." — Inderjit Adhikari, RTI applicant
What the year-long delay means for RTI applicants
This delay means that citizens who use the RTI Act to seek answers from the government are not getting timely justice. The second appeal is the final stage where an applicant can get a decision from the Information Commission. When this stage takes over a year, the entire purpose of the RTI Act — quick and transparent access to information — is undermined.
To put it plainly, a system designed to hold the government accountable is itself becoming slow and unresponsive. For ordinary citizens like Adhikari, this delay is not just an inconvenience. It discourages people from using the RTI route to seek information, which weakens the transparency that the Act was meant to ensure.
Our Take: Delays defeat the purpose of the RTI Act
In our view, a year-long wait for a hearing is unacceptable for a law that was created to ensure quick access to information. The RTI Act works on the principle that information should be provided promptly. When the appeal process itself takes this long, it sends a clear message to applicants: pursuing your right to information will cost you time and patience.
The Haryana State Information Commission needs to address this backlog seriously. Citizens who file appeals are already facing incomplete responses from departments. Adding a year-long wait on top of that makes the entire process nearly useless for the common person.
This case is a reminder that the RTI system needs constant attention. The law exists on paper, but its real value depends on how quickly and fairly it works in practice. For applicants like Adhikari, the wait continues — and that is a failure of the system that was built to serve them.