Authorities are requesting extensions to RTI requests only after failing to provide answers within initial deadline: ICOM
The Information Commissioner has expressed concern over state institutions delaying Right to Information (RTI) requests and seeking extensions only after significant periods of inaction. During a hearing regarding the Ministry of Finance’s failure to disclose information, Commissioner Ahid Rasheed stated that denying requests after an extension has already been granted is a violation of the law. Consequently, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICOM) has ordered the Ministry to provide the data requested by RaajjeTV within the first week following the Eid holidays.
Information Commissioner Ahmed Ahid Rasheed. | Sun Online
Information Commissioner Ahid Rasheed has noted that numerous state agencies are requesting extensions to fulfill Right to Information (RTI) requests only after the initial deadlines have already lapsed without a response.
Ahid made these remarks during a hearing held following a complaint filed by Raajje TV, after the Ministry of Finance failed to respond to a Right to Information (RTI) request.
In an RTI request submitted on June 26, 2024, RaajjeTV inquired whether there are outstanding payments to private businesses that have remained unpaid for over a year, and requested the total amount of such arrears.
When this was pointed out, the Ministry stated that they required additional time to clarify the information. In a response provided to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICOM) ten months later, the Ministry claimed that the timeframe for the information requested by RaajjeTV was unclear because the inquiry did not specify a particular date. However, Ahid noted that this was not an acceptable justification.
Ahid stated that numerous agencies are requesting extensions to provide information, often doing so in a manner that deviates from legal requirements. He noted that even after these extensions are granted, the eventual response from these agencies is frequently a refusal to disclose the requested information. Ahid emphasized that such decisions could have easily been communicated within the original timeframe mandated by law.
It is important to highlight this issue as many institutions are currently adopting this practice. An institution should not request an extension only to later claim that the requested information cannot be provided. We are observing a trend where some agencies extend the deadline, only to state in their final response that the information cannot be released for a specific reason. If such a justification exists, it should be communicated within the initial 21-day period.Information Commissioner Ahmed Ahid Rasheed.
Ahid has instructed the Ministry of Finance to provide the information requested by RaajjeTV during the week following the Eid holidays.
