KRS slams state government for delaying appointments to Karnataka Information Commission vacancies
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Rashtra Samithi (KRS) has slammed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for delaying the appointment of commissioners to the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC), arguing that the move undermines the effectiveness of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
In a letter, as cited by Deccan Herald on Monday, the KRS expressed concerns over the government’s inaction. They argued that the failure to fill these vacancies has disrupted the functioning of the KIC.
The KRS also pointed out that several government departments and agencies are refusing to provide information to the public, worsening the issue.
"The Supreme Court, during a hearing on January 7, raised serious objections to the delay and sought a report from the chief secretary. Despite this, the government has not taken steps to make the appointments,” Manjunath S. of the KRS was quoted as saying by DH.
Manjunath slammed the government for favouring candidates with bureaucratic backgrounds for these positions. He mentioned that out of the 11 commissioner posts, eight have been vacant for a long time, and the terms of the remaining three commissioners will end on April 18.
The KRS further highlighted the poor state of the RTI system in Karnataka. Manjunath claimed that many information officers and first appellate authorities lack knowledge of the RTI Act and often mislead applicants. “At the KIC, more than 50,000 complaints are pending, and applicants are forced to wait six months to a year just to have their applications heard. In some cases, it takes two to three years to obtain the requested information,” he said.
The Karnataka Rashtra Samithi called on the government to appoint qualified individuals who understand the RTI Act, requesting for urgent action to restore the KIC's effectiveness and ensure transparency in governance.
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Wangchuk not given videos which formed basis of his detention: Wife to SC
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New Delhi (PTI): Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali J Angmo alleged in the Supreme Court on Thursday that four videos which formed the basis of her husband's detention were not shown to him and only the thumbnails on pen drive were displayed.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing in the court for Angmo, told a bench of justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B Varale that not supplying the videos violated Wangchuk's right to effective representation before the advisory board as well as the government.
"It is now alleged by the State that that DIG came with a laptop and shown four videos. The laptop was provided to detenue on October 5, 2025, but those four vidoes were not there.
"Let us assume they showed it to be, that is not the requirement of law. The requirement is to give it to me. They have to provide the document, I don't have to ask. It is there constitutional duty to supply. We have said that time and again that the four was never supplied," Sibal said.
Another lawyer assisting Sibal informed the court that the pen drive was inserted in the laptop before Wangchuk and he only saw the thumbnails.
"The videos were not actually played. None of the thumbnails were actually clicked," the lawyer said.
Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj submitted that there is a video in which the conversation with the DIG and detenue will show everything.
The top court said it see the relevant video recordings, including a 40-minute video of the interaction between police officials and the detenue.
The matter is now posted for hearing on February 23.
On Monday, the apex court had questioned the Centre about the transcripts of videos submitted by it against Wangchuk and said the translations should be precise in the age of artificial intelligence.
It had told Nataraj that it wanted actual transcripts of Wangchuk's statements from the government after Sibal submitted that some of the words attributed to the activist were never said by him.
The top court was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, seeking a declaration that his detention under the National Security Act (NSA), 1980, is illegal.
The NSA empowers the Centre and the states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner "prejudicial to the defence of India."
The maximum detention period is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier. Angmo said the violence in Leh on September 24 last year cannot be attributed in any manner to the actions or statements of Wangchuk.
Wangchuk himself condemned the violence through his social media handles and categorically said it would lead to the failure of Ladakh's "tapasya" and its peaceful pursuit of five years, Angmo said, adding that it was the saddest day of his life.
