Maharashtra RTI backlog: Over 1 lakh appeals, complaints disposed of in 18 months; Mumbai clears 40,000

MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s information commission disposed of 1,06,122 second appeals and complaints between April 2025 and September 2026, with Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) accounting for a substantial share of the clearance drive.

However, the scale of disposal also highlights the continuing challenge of ensuring that citizens receive public records without prolonged appellate delays.

The figures assume significance for Mumbai and MMR residents who use the Right to Information (RTI) Act to seek records from civic bodies, housing and urban development authorities, revenue offices and state departments.

The Mumbai headquarters and Brihanmumbai benches together disposed of 36,911 second appeals and 3,620 complaints during the 18-month period. The Konkan bench, which covers districts including Thane and Palghar, cleared another 6,601 appeals and 1,616 complaints.

State chief information commissioner Rahul Pande met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on RTI Day, marking 21 years of the legislation, and presented a briefing on the commission’s functioning along with an authentic Marathi edition of the Act.

CM Fadnavis described the disposal performance as unprecedented and called for greater proactive disclosure of information and the use of technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), to manage the heavy caseload.

For citizens, the key test will be whether faster disposal translates into quicker access to information and fewer appeals in the first place.

Mumbai’s share: heavy workload, significant clearance

The Mumbai headquarters disposed of 28,509 second appeals and 2,857 complaints, while the Brihanmumbai bench cleared 8,402 appeals and 763 complaints.

The workload remains substantial.

Between April 2025 and August 2026, the Mumbai headquarters received 20,257 fresh appeals and 1,411 complaints. Brihanmumbai received 17,099 appeals and 806 complaints over the same period.

As of March 31, 2025, the two benches had 19,554 appeals and 3,099 complaints pending at the Mumbai headquarters, and 5,152 appeals and 2,745 complaints at Brihanmumbai.

The Konkan bench began the period with 7,870 pending appeals and 4,236 complaints. It received 6,851 new appeals and 1,575 complaints, while disposing of 6,601 appeals and 1,616 complaints.

The figures underline the pressure on information commissions serving a region with a dense concentration of government offices, municipal authorities and development agencies.

They also show why the disposal count alone cannot establish how long an individual applicant must wait for a hearing or a final order.

AI push amid staffing constraints

Pande told the chief minister that the RTI Act helps bridge the information imbalance between citizens and public authorities.

The commission’s emphasis, he said, has been on maximising voluntary, proactive and suo motu disclosures under Section 4(1)(b) of the Act.

The provision requires public authorities to publish specified categories of information proactively, reducing the need for citizens to file individual applications for routine records.

The commission also highlighted manpower shortages and budgetary constraints. Fadnavis urged it to explore AI and other advanced technologies to improve the handling of incoming cases.

Any technology-led intervention will need to support, rather than replace, statutory scrutiny and reasoned decisions by information commissioners.

The immediate administrative priorities remain timely hearings, accessible case-status information and compliance with disclosure orders.

Other regional benches contribute to clearance

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar disposed of 13,914 second appeals and 1,409 complaints. Pune cleared 12,404 appeals and 4,218 complaints, while Nashik disposed of 11,925 appeals and 1,755 complaints.

Nagpur cleared 6,115 appeals and 1,286 complaints, and Amravati disposed of 4,140 appeals and 208 complaints.

Statewide, the supplied figures put disposals during April 2025–September 2026 at 92,010 second appeals and 14,112 complaints.

Fresh receipts were reported at 87,899 appeals and 12,372 complaints through August 2026. Because the receipt and disposal periods differ, these numbers should not be directly compared as a like-for-like measure of backlog reduction.

Since the commission began functioning under the RTI framework, the supplied cumulative figures record 7,37,520 second appeals and 1,15,175 complaints received, against disposals of 6,67,486 appeals and 1,01,826 complaints.

These totals require reconciliation with the commission’s underlying annual and pending-case records before being treated as a complete account of current pendency.

The commission marked RTI Day with orientation programmes for public information officers and first appellate authorities, stakeholder discussions and awareness camps.

For Maharashtra’s RTI users, the next measure of success will be whether the clearance drive, stronger proactive disclosure and better staffing make it easier to obtain information from public authorities without having to pursue repeated appeals.