Supreme Court Seeks Response from 11 States on Petition Demanding the Establishment of RTI Portals
The Supreme Court has sought responses from 11 states, including Andhra Pradesh, on a petition that demanded the establishment of an online RTI (Right to Information) portal in compliance with its 2023 judgment. The states have been asked to submit their replies by October 21.
Earlier, in a landmark judgment dated March 20, the Supreme Court had directed all states, Union Territories, and High Courts to set up RTI websites within three months. The court had stated that establishing such websites would facilitate compliance with the Right to Information Act, 2005, by providing easy access to information for citizens.
On Monday, the bench informed the petitioners that 11 states and Union Territories had not yet established their RTI websites. The states named in the petition are:
- Andhra Pradesh
- Jharkhand
- Manipur
- Nagaland
- Sikkim
- West Bengal
- Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli
- Jammu & Kashmir
- Lakshadweep
- Arunachal Pradesh
The Supreme Court has directed these states to submit their responses regarding the status of the RTI portals by the given deadline.
