Kalaburagi RTI Bench Orders ₹96,000 Compensation for 35 Appellants; 80 Officers Fined for Information Delays
Kalaburagi: Delays in providing information that cost applicants time and money have led the Karnataka Information Commission’s Kalaburagi bench to order compensation totalling ₹96,000 for 35 appellants, State Information Commissioner B. Venkata Singh said.
The bench also imposed penalties totalling ₹7,78,000 on 80 public information officers from different departments for failing to provide information on time. Singh said ₹7,37,000 in penalties had been collected during his tenure.
Addressing a press conference to mark the completion of a year in office, Singh said the bench had taken up 7,262 cases over 188 hearing days and disposed of 3,694 of them. Hearings during his tenure began on November 25, 2025, he said.
The compensation orders were issued because delays in supplying information had caused appellants to lose both time and money, Singh explained. The commission directed that the 35 appellants receive a total of ₹96,000.
Among the cases highlighted by the commissioner was a request for CCTV footage from Sirwar Police Station. Three police sub-inspectors were each fined ₹25,000 for delaying the information sought by an appellant, and the penalties were collected, he said.
The commission also recommended action against the three officers over the failure to provide information on time. Singh said the Superintendent of Police had subsequently informed the commission that notices had been issued to them under Rule 7 of the police rules.
Another significant decision concerned an appeal involving the district central cooperative bank associated with Kalaburagi and Yadgir. Following a hearing, the commission ruled that the bank was a public authority, Singh said.
He also said more than 500 older cases dating from 2010 to 2022, which had remained pending for disposal, had been taken up and disposed of.
Despite these disposals, the Kalaburagi bench continues to have a substantial backlog. Across its overall caseload, 20,398 second appeals have been filed, of which 13,468 have been disposed of, leaving 6,930 pending, according to the commissioner.
Raichur accounts for the largest number of pending cases at 2,059, followed by Kalaburagi with 1,483 and Ballari with 885. The remaining district-wise figures are Yadgir, 665; Koppal, 649; Vijayanagara, 629; and Bidar, 560.
Singh said second appeals, which previously had to be submitted in Bengaluru, have been accepted at the Kalaburagi bench itself since February this year. A total of 2,432 second appeals have been submitted there under this arrangement.
After taking charge, he noticed that a large number of cases concerned gram panchayats and had focused on ensuring that applicants received information in such matters, he said.
Workshops have also been conducted in all seven districts under the bench’s jurisdiction for public information officers and first appellate authorities. Singh said these sessions were intended to resolve doubts about providing information and had helped officials respond to requests.
The Kalaburagi bench, which serves the Kalyana Karnataka region, has been functioning since 2024 and currently operates from a building belonging to the Public Works Department.
Singh said letters had been sent to the Chief Minister, the district minister and the Deputy Commissioner seeking a suitable site for a permanent building. The process remained underway, he added.
The bench also faces a staff shortage. A proposal seeking additional staff has already been submitted to the state government, Singh said, adding that adequate staffing would enable it to take up and dispose of more cases.
In some matters, the commission had exercised its powers to direct competent authorities to conduct further inquiries. Action would be considered after their inquiry reports were received, he said.
Hearings in two other significant cases have been completed, and details will be shared separately after the orders are issued, Singh added.
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