Gov’t Transparency at Risk: ICOM Discloses Escalation in Denied Information Requests
Photo: Information Commissioner’s Office
The Information Commissioner, Ahmed Ahid Rasheed, revealed on Monday a notable surge in complaints regarding the denial of information requests by governmental bodies.
During the initial quarter of 2024, the Commission fielded 139 cases, marking a substantial 58 percent escalation from the corresponding period last year, as disclosed by Ahid in a statement posted on X platform.
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Ahid further highlighted that 90 percent of the grievances lodged with the information commission pertained to instances where public authorities had failed to respond to requests made under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
In tandem with this trend, 581 requests were submitted to authorities via the online Mahoali Portal, an initiative facilitated by the information commission to streamline the process of submitting information requests to governmental entities.
However, only 48 percent of these requests were met with acceptance by the authorities. Ahid underscored the persistent issue of several offices inadequately addressing requests routed through the portal.
Among the requests submitted through the portal, more than 12 percent of all requests have been appealed to the commission, Ahid added. 64 percent of the requests submitted through the portal were to institutions in the executive branch, 12 percent to local councils and 7 percent to statutory bodies.
