MP HC issues notice to state gov, State Information Commission seeking online applications under RTI

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued notice in a PIL filed by the Law Student Association regarding the online access of the Right to Information Act in Madhya Pradesh. A division bench of the High Court has issued notices to both the state government and the State Information Commission and sought their replies within four weeks.

The Right to Information Act was enacted in 2005 and has provisions under which any citizen of India may request information from a "public authority". However people cannot request information under RTI through online means. A portal was made regarding the same by the central government in 2013 but no such portal is accessible in Madhya Pradesh.

The petitioners have said in the PIL that due to non-availability of online applications, applicants have to make rounds of offices, which wastes their time.

“Section 6 of the RTI Act has provision for requesting information from the concerned authorities by submitting applications in written form .At the same time, the act also has provision for electronic applications. But, sadly the state government has kept citizens away from this right for the past 17 years”, said the petitioner’s lawyer, Vishal Baghel.

He further added that though a portal was made by the state government in the year 2021, it is of no use, as several government departments are not added to it and whenever an applicant tries to file an RTI through it, the portal says that ‘this service is not available for the said office at present’.