In India almost 4800 RTI applications are filed daily and 1% of these application s are filed in Chandigarh. As per accessed it is observed that in Chandigarh total 15894 applications were filed in 2018-19 and the applications increased to 17289 in 2019-20 registering 8 % increase over the previous year.

As far as the department of Chandigarh are concerned Police deptt remains at top with 3566 (22% of total) applications in 2018-19 and 4733 (27% 0of total applications )applications in 2019-20 a quantum jump of 32% from the previous year. For the purpose of data Estate Office gets second Highest applications 3049 in 2018-19 and 3257 in 2019-20.

The purpose of RTI act was to bring transparency in the system and that way with the time transparency should have increased and number of applications should decreased but that has not happened it rather reverse as after online rti was introduced in Dec 2017 the number of applications have increased. It is observed that with the passage of time the CPIOs have become rather experienced and can be said that they become clever to use RTI provisions itself to scuttle free flow of information.

But RTI Act is RTI Act and any effort to deny information due to what ever reason is met with more applications and pubic starts asking for documents and that is beauty if this wonderful act which rightly said second freedom to public at large.

The purpose of RTI act was to bring transparency in the system and that way with the time transparency should have increased and number of applications should decreased but that has not happened it rather reverse as after online rti was introduced in Dec 2017 the number of applications have increased. It is observed that with the passage of time the CPIOs have become rather experienced and can be said that they become clever to use RTI provisions itself to scuttle free flow of information.

Before go into more confusing details let us come to the point.IN Chandigarh police it is observed that they have become defensive in supply of information otherwise information which was freely being supplied to this applicant how can that be denied quoting one or the other section or judgment of Hon’ble courts. In my career of more that 15 years I have asked for information from police deprt and earlier it was very forth coming but after the reports from such information were published in newspapers the CPIOs now days at every drop of hat they refuse the information and any appeal filed is not heard and senior officer depends on the comments of CPIO and in many cases without weighing the arguments of the applicant the appeal is also dismissed and disposed off with even a speaking order.

It is observed that CPIOs are behaving in defensive manner. To quote few examples earlier Police department had supplied Inspection Reports of police stations to me and these reports threw reasonable light on the working of police stations but now a days the CPIO says these are third party information. Earlier CPIOs had supplied the information about various Funds run by police after the irregularities were exposed these days these funds have classified under third party information.

So much the posting of employees at one place one post in contravention of CVC Guidelines has also been denied being third part information and Appellate Authority has disposed of appeal with any speaking order. It seems police department the CPIOs who happen to be police employees only are misusing the third-party clause to hide the information and fully know the route of second appeal is very lengthy and will be easy to track.

As such under the circumstances police department should usher in adequate transparency so that number of applications, a time-consuming process, are reduced after its website displays adequate information about its working. The CPIOs should be worried about larger public interest, or antecedents of applicant and Appellate Authorities should rather than depending on best judgement of CPIOs should give a fare hearing ti applicants to disseminate information freely. (R.K.Garg is a known RTI activist in Chandigarh)