The Pune Information Commission has disposed of about 30,000 second appeals filed under the Right to Information Act, while around 3,700 cases remained pending at the end of September, State Information Commissioner Makarand Ranade said at a training programme in Pune.
The figures were shared during an event organised by the Pune Information Commissioner’s office at Niyojan Bhavan as part of Right to Information Week, observed from October 5 to 12. Pune district collector S. Karthikeyan, additional collector Ganesh Nirhali and resident deputy collector Abhijit Patil were among those present.
Ranade said public information officers are required to provide information within 30 days of receiving an RTI application. He added that departments must provide records available in their offices and already existing in a ready format; officials are not required to create new information in response to an application.
The Pune information bench had about 15,000 second appeals pending from before 2025, according to the information shared at the programme. It is also receiving between 700 and 750 new second appeals every month, indicating the continuing workload faced by the state’s information adjudication system.
Under the RTI process, a first appeal is expected to be heard within 45 days. If the applicant is dissatisfied with the decision of the first appellate authority, or does not receive an appropriate response, a second appeal can be filed before the Information Commission.
The guidance issued at the training programme also called for every government office to maintain a separate register for RTI applications. Ranade said information already available on government websites, including government resolutions and circulars, need not be supplied again through a separate RTI response.
He directed public information officers to scrutinise applications properly and respond in accordance with the provisions of the law. First appellate authorities were asked to take competent decisions during hearings. Officials were also told to follow the Supreme Court’s guidelines to prevent misuse of the RTI Act.
The disposal figures highlight both the commission’s effort to reduce its appeal backlog and the continuing demand for access to government records. The monthly intake of new cases means that disposal will have to keep pace with fresh appeals if the pending caseload is to remain under control. The information shared at the programme did not specify the disposal period for the 30,000 cases or provide a department-wise break-up of the pending appeals.
