Indore: Congress Demands Appointment Of State Information Commissioner

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Congress leaders submitted a memorandum to the state government demanding the immediate appointment of a commissioner in the State Information Commission, on Wednesday.

Congress Committee's Information Rights Cell president Girish Joshi in the memorandum highlighted that under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act of 2006, citizens are entitled to access information about the workings of government offices.

The Congress leaders pointed out that the tenure of the previous Information Commissioner ended on March 31, 2024. Despite the lapse of six months since the end of the term, no new appointment has been made, effectively stalling the Right to Information (RTI) process in the state.

“Without an appointed commissioner, appeals for information under the RTI Act are left unheard, leaving around 15,000 complaints pending at the State Information Commission in Bhopal,” he said.

The Congress leaders emphasised that the lack of an Information Commissioner has effectively denied citizens their right to information, as they cannot appeal their cases to a higher authority after an initial refusal or inadequate response from government offices.

City Congress president Surjeet Singh Chaddha, Chintu Chouksey, and other prominent leaders urged the state government to swiftly appoint a new Information Commissioner to ensure transparency and accountability in governance.