In a significant judgment, the Punjab and Haryana High Court reprimanded the Haryana Government for its lax implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act at the panchayat level. The court has directed the Secretary and Director of the Department of Rural Development, along with other officials, to provide details on the steps taken to enforce the RTI Act within gram panchayats. They are also required to disclose information regarding the allocation and utilization of funds on the department’s website.
The action comes in response to a petition filed by Bhagwat Dayal, a resident of Faridabad, who challenged a decision by the Haryana State Information Commissioner. The commissioner had dismissed his second appeal under the Right to Information Act, 2005. Dayal had sought details on the funds received and spent by the Haripur panchayat in Faridabad from 2015 to 2019. After failing to obtain the information, he had appealed the decision, which was subsequently rejected.
During the hearing, the High Court noted that villagers consistently seek similar information about the grants/funds received or utilized by their respective gram panchayats, but necessary actions are often evaded by the department under various pretexts. This leads to unnecessary petitions and contributes to the harassment of the villagers.
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The court highlighted that no State Public Information Officers (SPIOs) are appointed for any gram panchayat in Haryana, despite these being democratic institutions operating at the grassroots level as per Articles 243(D) and 243-B of the Indian Constitution. The High Court has now issued notices to the Commissioner, Secretary, Director, and Special Secretary of the Department of Rural Development to provide information on the implementation of the RTI Act at the gram panchayat level and regarding the appointment of SPIOs for each panchayat.
