Forum Applauds APIC’s RTI Hearings Live Stream, Highlights Gaps

Quick Summary

• The United Forum for RTI Campaign-A.P. (UFRTI-AP) praised the Andhra Pradesh Facts Commission (APIC) for live-streaming complaint and appeal hearings.
• UFRTI-AP believes that live streaming will allow people to observe APIC’s functioning, enhancing public confidence in its processes.
• Concerns were raised over selective disclosure of orders by some Commissioners, while others failed to upload their decisions on the Commission’s official website, undermining transparency.
• A statutory Annual Report under section 25 of the RTI Act has not been released since Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation in 2014, drawing criticism from UFRTI-AP leaders Chakradhar Budda and Emmanuel Dasari.
• The forum urged Governor S. Abdul Nazeer to direct authorities:

– To introduce an online RTI filing system at the State level for ease of application submission.
– Enable filing second appeals and complaints directly with APIC even without a state-level RTI portal.
– Archive live-streamed proceedings so citizens can access them later if missed in real-time.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The United Forum for RTI Campaign-A.P.’s endorsement of live streaming by APIC provides a notable push towards stronger transparency mechanisms within goverment institutions. However, their concerns highlight potential gaps-selective order disclosures and absent statutory reports-that raise larger questions about institutional accountability post-bifurcation.

An online RTI portal at both state and commission levels could streamline citizen engagement with governance processes and reduce systemic inefficiencies such as travel burdens or postal delays-not only advancing accessibility but perhaps broadening democratic participation in government oversight.

These developments may serve as notable stepping stones toward modernizing governance infrastructure while addressing long-standing concerns about operational inconsistencies within key accountability bodies like APIC.

Read more: Link