Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Information Commission has disposed of 12,928 RTI cases in the last 10 months, marking a major administrative milestone.
Pending cases have reduced from 22,611 to 9,688 during this period. The disposal rate increased after the appointment of the State Chief Information Commissioner and three new Information Commissioners in April 2025.
The Commission has cleared all pending cases from 2021 and 2022. Only a few cases from 2023 and 2024 remain. It has now started hearing fresh cases filed in 2025 and 2026, according to a government release.
Officials said the Commission focused on faster hearings and avoided unnecessary adjournments. The aim is to ensure that applicants receive information on time under the RTI Act.
The Commission has also issued key directives. It directed the Odisha Public Service Commission to disclose the interview marks of each candidate. It instructed the Odisha Staff Selection Commission to provide the marks for the skill and computer tests to both successful and unsuccessful candidates.
In cases where Public Information Officers denied information on the grounds of non-availability, the Commission ordered inquiries by senior officials. It asked authorities to fix responsibility and take action against guilty officers.
The Commission launched a special drive to identify misuse of fake BPL cards for seeking free information. It also screened cases where applicants filed multiple RTI requests on the same subject.
In one case, an RTI applicant from Balangir allegedly demanded a bribe from a Public Information Officer to withdraw an application. The Commission referred the matter to the police for investigation.
The Commission has imposed penalties totaling Rs 1,47,76,250 on officials for delays and unjust denial of information. Recently, State Chief Information Commissioner Manoj Parida imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on a police official in Ganjam district for violating the RTI Act.
