3.85L complaints, appeals pending with 28 information commissions

The figure means 385,000 or more appeals and complaints had not been decided by 28 information commissions on June 30, 2026. These cases involve disputes linked to access to government information. A pending case is one still awaiting disposal, so the applicant has not received a final decision from the commission.

The backlog is important because information requests often concern records needed to question official decisions or obtain public accountability. If an applicant believes a request was wrongly refused, ignored, or inadequately answered, an appeal or complaint can reach an information commission. The commission’s decision is therefore a key step in resolving the dispute.

The report found that 14 commissions had an estimated waiting time of at least one year. Although 2,41,627 cases were disposed of during the year, more than 3.85 lakh remained pending. The backlog fell from over 4.13 lakh across 29 commissions in 2025, but delays remain substantial.

Information commissions are independent statutory bodies created under India’s Right to Information Act. They oversee the appeal process when a public authority refuses information, gives an incomplete reply, or fails to respond within the required period. Their purpose is to make the right to seek public records enforceable rather than merely theoretical.

An applicant can challenge a problematic response by filing an appeal. A complaint can also be made in situations recognised by the Act, such as difficulty accessing the information process. The commission examines the dispute, considers the records and explanations, and issues a decision. Its proceedings can determine whether information should be disclosed.

The article’s figures show why this role matters. Across 28 commissions, more than 3.85 lakh appeals and complaints were pending on June 30, 2026. Fourteen commissions had estimated waiting times of one year or more, making the commissions’ capacity central to timely access to government information.

Between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, 27 commissions recorded 2,61,669 newly registered appeals and complaints. During the same period, 28 commissions disposed of 2,41,627 cases. By June 30, 2026, more than 3.85 lakh cases were still pending across those 28 commissions.

The numbers measure different parts of the workload. Registrations show new matters entering the system, while disposals show matters completed. Pending cases also include matters carried over from earlier periods. Because the registration data covers 27 commissions and disposal data covers 28, the totals are not a perfect one-to-one comparison, but they reveal the scale of demand.

The previous year’s comparison adds context. Over 4.13 lakh cases were pending across 29 commissions on June 30, 2025. The reported backlog therefore decreased overall, but only while remaining extremely large and leaving 14 commissions with estimated waits of at least one year.

Maharashtra handled the largest number of cases during the period, disposing of 54,985 appeals and complaints. Karnataka followed with 38,656, Tamil Nadu with 23,808, Uttar Pradesh with 21,528, and the Central Information Commission with 17,319.

The commission with the biggest unresolved queue was again Maharashtra. It had 77,000 appeals and complaints pending on June 30, 2026. Chhattisgarh and Bihar followed, although the article does not provide their exact pending totals. Disposal volume and pending volume are related but not identical measures, because pending cases include older matters and new cases may arrive during the same period.

These figures show uneven workloads across commissions. Maharashtra’s high disposal total did not prevent it from having the largest backlog. The overall report counted more than 3.85 lakh pending cases across 28 commissions, while 14 commissions had estimated waiting times of one year or more.

When an appeal may take a year or more, a citizen can wait many months for a final decision about a government information request. During that period, the requested records may remain unavailable. This can weaken the practical value of the right to information, especially when the information relates to a time-sensitive grievance or public issue.

The mechanism is straightforward. A person first seeks information from a public authority. If the response is refused, incomplete, or delayed, the person can pursue an appeal or complaint. The information commission must then examine the dispute and issue a decision. A long queue postpones that review, even though the case is already inside the formal process.

The report estimates waiting times of one year or more in 14 commissions. More than 3.85 lakh matters were pending across 28 commissions on June 30, 2026. Unless disposal capacity keeps pace with incoming and carried-over cases, applicants may continue to experience delayed access to information.

The Central Information Commission had 39,121 appeals and complaints pending on June 30, 2026, compared with 24,102 on June 30, 2025. That is an increase of 15,019 cases. The article reports the change but does not explain why it occurred, so a specific cause cannot be established from the available information.

Disposing of cases does not automatically reduce a backlog. A commission can complete many matters while receiving even more new appeals and complaints. It can also carry forward unresolved cases from earlier periods. The relevant balance is between starting cases, incoming cases, and completed cases. The article gives the CIC’s disposal figure, 17,319, but not its registrations for the period.

The wider data shows the same complexity. During the year, 27 commissions registered 2,61,669 cases, while 28 disposed of 2,41,627. The CIC’s rise therefore signals unresolved pressure, but the report does not provide enough detail to assign responsibility or identify one confirmed reason.

The article does not describe the filing steps, but under the Right to Information Act, an ordinary citizen can submit an application to the relevant public authority seeking specific government records. The request should identify the information sought clearly. The law is designed to let people ask for information without needing a special status or official connection.

If the authority refuses the request, supplies an inadequate answer, or does not respond within the prescribed period, the applicant can challenge the outcome through the RTI appeal process. A first appeal generally goes to a designated senior officer within the public authority. A further appeal can go to the appropriate State Information Commission or the Central Information Commission. A complaint may also be filed in circumstances recognised by the Act.

The commission examines the dispute and decides whether information should be disclosed. The system’s importance is clear from the report: more than 3.85 lakh appeals and complaints were pending across 28 commissions, and 14 had waits of at least one year.