Vacancies cripple information commissions as RTI Act turns 20, shows data

A report released last week by the Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS) has found that several information commissions across India were either non-functional or operating at reduced capacity between July 2024 and October 2025 due to vacant posts of commissioners, including that of the chief information commissioner.

 

Under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, information commissions, both at the central and state levels, serve as the final appellate authorities and are mandated to safeguard and facilitate citizens’ fundamental right to information. Each commission comprises a chief information commissioner and up to 10 commissioners.

 

The SNS collated information by filing 146 RTI applications with 29 information commissions to assess their performance. According to its Performance of Information Commissions in India 2024–25 report, six commissions were found to be non-functional for varying periods between July 1, 2024, and October 7, 2025, with all commissioner posts being vacant. Two of these commissions were completely defunct.

 

In October 2023, while hearing a petition on vacancies in information commissions, the Supreme Court noted that the failure to fill vacancies is leading to a situation where “the right to information, which is recognised under an Act of Parliament, becomes a dead letter”. 

 

According to estimates, 4 to 6 million RTI applications are filed across the country every year.

 

Between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, 27 information commissions registered 241,751 appeals and complaints, of which 182,165 were disposed of.

 

The Maharashtra State Information Commission (SIC) disposed of the highest number of cases (38,410), followed by Uttar Pradesh (30,552), Karnataka (26,802), and Tamil Nadu (22,336). Maharashtra also registered the highest fresh appeals and complaints (54,869), followed by Tamil Nadu (27,748) and Karnataka (27,490).

 

As the RTI Act, which was passed by Parliament on October 12, 2005, turned 20 on Sunday, here is a report on the state of affairs at the information commissions.