Joining the growing list of institutions that are using technological means to conduct their functioning, the Central Information Commission has begun online hearing of appeals given the restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.
In a first for the Commission, it heard 18 cases yesterday through audio and visual means. The video-conferencing app Zoom was used by the Commissioners to hear the matters. However, the CIC plans to adopt the Vidyo app developed by the National Informatics Centre, and which is being used by the Supreme Court, for its future hearings during the lockdown period since security concerns exist concerning Zoom.
The Commission had, on March 23, held its first internal meeting through Zoom, where it was decided that it would conduct online hearings to deal with the pending appeals. The CIC held a video meeting with RTI activists on April 7 to discuss the issue and seek their views. It also held a meeting with former commissioners on April ten, again through video-conferencing, to seek their inputs.
Amongst the decisions taken was that maximum possible efforts will be made with the help of technology for early conduct of hearings under the prevailing circumstances arising due to lockdown. It was decided that notices may be issued by e-post, if required.
It was reiterated that the Registrar will continue to train all the deputy registrars periodically to provide support and ensure that the scheduled hearings commence through audio or digital mode by April 15, in larger public interest.
The e-office platform has been extended to the home computers of the CIC officers in the hierarchy of the channel of submission of files. It was also decided that pending claims should be settled expeditiously because of availability of e-office at home computers of CIC officers.
“The good thing about the decision taken by the CIC to conduct online hearings is that audio hearings will also be possible. So if a person does not have the facility of taking part in an audio-visual hearing, he can still take part in the hearing through just audio means on basic phones,” said RTI activist Commodore Lokesh Batra (Retd).
The Commission is working with a strength of seven commissioners, including the Chief Information Commissioner, against a sanctioned strength of 11. As many as 36,000 RTI appeals are pending before the CIC.