21 of 29 state panels did not hold any RTI hearings during lockdown: Study

Only seven commissions made provision for taking up urgent matters or those related to life and liberty during the period when normal functioning was affected due to the lockdown

Out of 29 Information Commissions in the country, 21 state panels did not hold any hearings to adjudicate complaints and appeals of RTI applicants during the lockdown, a study by voluntary groups Satark Nagrik Sangathan and Centre for Equity Studies showed.

The study assessed the status of Information Commissions, adjudicating bodies in RTI matters, during lockdown, which was imposed nationwide on March 25.

The study said 21 commissions of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal did not hold