Public entities do not comply with RTI Act: ICOM

Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed said on Tuesday that the biggest challenge in disclosing information to the public under the Right to Information (RTI) Act was non-compliance by public or government entities.

The Information Commissioner was summoned Tuesday's Independent Institutions Committee meeting. At the meeting, Ahid said that the Information Commissioner's Office (ICOM) received 214 cases on top of the 44 pending cases from 2023.

He added that the investigation of 115 out of these cases has already been completed.

Ahid said that an investigation into these cases revealed that 90 percent of the complaints were regarding the refusal to disclose information from public entities. The rest of the complaints related to grievances over responses provided by information officers.

The Information Commissioner said this was gravely concerning and noted that the office was significantly understaffed for the work they were doing.

He added that state bodies were not complying with the RTI Act.

"This is a major concern I would like to bring to the committee's attention. Our work is expanding, mainly because government bodies are failing to comply with the law. If they give responses, at least to some extent, then our work would drop—not just us, but those who seek information would have less hassle as well," Ahid said.

According to Ahid, these entities provided varying excuses to evade disclosing information. He added that some agencies claimed they lacked the resources to provide the requested information, which Ahid said delayed information dissemination within the statutory period.

To reduce state entities making up excuses, Ahid said ICOM is now attempting to work with these agencies for solutions.

He also highlighted several complaints that have been received from ICOM after the disputed entity provided information to the complainant.

While responding to questions raised by the parliament committee members, Ahid said ICOM is now trying to compile a report regarding the refusal to disclose information. He also added that the introduction of a fine would not solve the issue, but said it would be a last resort possibility.

ICOM has sent two cases to the Prosecutor General's Office, both related to non-compliance with the RTI Act, with 10 more cases slated to enter the office soon.

As per law, ICOM is required to complete investigations into cases within 30 days from the date they were lodged, and in specific instances, the commission may seek to extend the investigative period, not exceeding 15 additional days.

The non-compliance of state entities to provide information to RTI requests has been a growing concern, especially among public members.