Justice Sold !
State Information Commission, Odisha: Protecting Law-Breakers Instead of Enforcing the RTI Act? On 5th May 2025, State Information Commissioner Sushanta Kumar Mohanty passed an order in Second Appeal Case No. 3/2025. The case exposed a serious breach of the Right to Information Act, yet no action was taken against the concerned Public Information Officer (PIO) or the First Appellate Authority. Surprisingly, the order seems to protect, rather than penalize, the violators. The case involved Jogendra Sahu of Kakatpur Block, Puri District, who had filed an RTI application on 10th September 2024, seeking information from the PIO, Kakatpur Block. When no response was received, he filed a First Appeal on 28th October 2024. Unfortunately, the First Appellate Authority neither heard the appeal nor provided any information. Frustrated, Jogendra approached the State Information Commission, Odisha, filing a Second Appeal on 30th December 2024. The case was heard by Commissioner Sushant...