Balvinder urges Parliamentary Panel to address citizens’ grievances over delayed appeals

Noted RTI activist Balvinder Singh has formally appealed to the Anurag-led Parliamentary Panel, scheduled to visit the Union Territory from July 28, urging a critical review of the implementation of the Right to Information Act, 2005 in Jammu & Kashmir.

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According to a recent media report, the Panelamong other engagementsis also expected to assess the functioning of the RTI framework during its visit.

In this context, Singh has drawn attention to the stark contrast between the erstwhile J&K RTI Act, 2009 and the Central RTI Act, 2005, emphasizing that the former was widely acknowledged as more robust and citizen-friendly, particularly due to its clearly defined timelines and stronger enforcement provisions.

Singh emphasized that Section 16(4) of the J&K RTI Act, 2009 mandated a fixed 90-day timeframe for the disposal of second appeals by the State Information Commission.