SRINAGAR, 20 Nov – The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration has informed the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh that the Union Territory’s online Right to Information (RTI) portal, currently operating on a restricted network, will soon be made accessible to the public.
In light of this submission, the High Court on November 12 closed a contempt petition against the government regarding alleged non-compliance with its earlier directive to establish an online RTI portal.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice M.A. Chowdhary, reviewed the compliance report submitted by the government and concluded that its March 2022 order had been followed. “Compliance to order dated 11.09.2024 has been filed. A perusal of the compliance report reveals that the directions issued by this Court have been duly complied with. In view of the compliance report, nothing survives to adjudicate in the present contempt petition,” the Bench stated.
The petition, filed by activists Mohammad Tuyyab Malik and Mohammad Khurram Qureshi, had accused the J&K administration of failing to act on the Court’s mandate to launch the portal, aimed at enabling citizens to file RTI applications and access government-held information online.
Portal Developed with NIC Collaboration
The government reported that the online RTI portal, developed with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), J&K, has been customized in line with similar portals in Karnataka and Ladakh to ensure a user-friendly interface. According to the compliance report, the General Administration Department has instructed administrative secretaries to appoint nodal officers for each department. These officers, trained during a NIC-led capacity-building session on October 28, 2024, will now train other officials on using the portal.
The platform is operational within the NICNET network and is undergoing final testing before its public release. The government reiterated its commitment to transparency and stated that the portal’s formal launch would happen soon.
The High Court previously underscored the importance of an online RTI portal in promoting transparency and improving public access to information under the Right to Information Act, 2005. It also urged the administration to expedite the portal’s public launch to ensure citizens can benefit from the facility.
Advocates Faheem Nissar Shah and Maha Majeed represented the J&K administration, while Advocate Mehreen Altaf appeared for the petitioners.
(Inputs from Bar and Bench)
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