Pune: The state cabinet on Tuesday approved the appointment of three additional state information commissioners for three years to speed up disposal of Right to Information (RTI) cases, amid a backlog of more than 40,500 second appeals pending before the Maharashtra State Information Commission.The additional commissioners will be posted at the commission’s benches in Mumbai, Nashik and Amravati. Govt will create 18 additional posts across the three benches to support the new commissioners. Each bench will have a deputy secretary and section officer on deputation, along with a stenographer, clerk-cum-typist and peon to be hired on a contractual basis through an external agency.State chief information commissioner Rahul Pandey said the appointments would significantly boost disposal of pending cases. “This has been a long-pending demand of RTI activists and the Supreme Court also recently issued directions to this effect. The appointments will help clear pending second appeals and complaints much faster,” he said.Official data showed that between 2016 and 2025, the commission received 4.31 lakh second appeals and disposed of 3.90 lakh, leaving 40,537 appeals pending. During the same period, it received 66,652 complaints and disposed of 55,482, resulting in a backlog of 11,170 complaints.The pendency rose sharply during the Covid-19 years. In 2021, the commission disposed of 21,015 appeals against 45,169 fresh filings, while it cleared 26,545 appeals compared to 48,194 received in 2022. The situation improved over the past three years, with disposals consistently exceeding fresh filings. In 2023, the commission disposed of 56,971 appeals against 46,723 received, 63,656 against 52,676 in 2024 and 51,303 against 39,936 in 2025, helping reduce the accumulated backlog.RTI activists urged govt to adopt a wider and more transparent selection process for the posts rather than limiting appointments to retired senior bureaucrats.The cabinet has also authorised the state chief information commissioner to transfer appeals between benches or redeploy additional commissioners based on pendency levels to ensure quicker disposal of cases. The contractual appointments will be made in accordance with the finance department’s guidelines. A senior govt official said, “The decision is expected to expedite hearings under the RTI Act and improve citizens’ access to information and transparency-related justice.”
