Dear All,

Readers are aware of the fallout of the Supreme Court’s judgement in the matter of Namit Sharma v Union of India [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 201 of 2010]. We had reported that 8 Information Commissions in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan have halted work either on their own or upon the advice of the Advocate General of the State or upon the advice of the State’s Law Department. The Times of India and Governance Now flashed our survey findings as their lead stories last week. Please click on these links to access the stories:

• http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-09-30/india/34176790_1_information-commissions-rti-pleas-rti-cases

• http://www.governancenow.com/news/regular-story/8-state-information-commissions-stop-work-after-sc-order

I would be grateful if readers in all of the eight States where Information Commissions have stopped working would send us brief details of the appeals and complaints cases that are pending. As these Commissions have halted hearings, all cases filed with them till date would remain unattended to. We are collecting information on such cases.

Kindly send us the following details:

• Name and telephone number of the appellant/complainant;
• A brief description of the nature of information sought- with specific details about whether it is related to corruption or mismanagement of public funds or securing the rightful entitlements of disadvantaged people;
• The date on which the appeal/complaint was filed with the Information Commission; and
• Whether any date was fixed for the hearing earlier which could not be held because of the Information Commission halting work.

Please make sure that your cases are from those States where Information Commissions have stopped working, namely, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan or any other State where the SIC has taken a similar decision to halt hearings. Kindly send me these details by email or contact me on my mobile phone – 9871050555.

If you know somebody whose appeal/complaint has been held up please pass on this email or my contact details to that person.  I would appreciate a response by tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks
Sincerely,
Venkatesh Nayak
Programme Coordinator
Access to Information Programme
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
B-117, First Floor, Sarvodaya Enclave
New Delhi- 110 017
Tel: +91-11-43180215/ 43180201
Fax: +91-26864688
Skype: venkatesh.nayak@skype.com
Alternate Email: nayak.venkatesh@gmail.com
Website: www.humanrightsinitiative.org