Bilal Bhat
Srinagar: The Right to Information framework in Kashmir came under sharp scrutiny after Public Information Officers of 10 districts allegedly failed to provide substantive replies and did not appear effectively in a crucial first appeal hearing before the First Appellate Authority at the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK).
Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, who heads the J&K RTI Movement, said the matter is extremely serious and cannot be brushed aside. “The First Appellate Authority is synonymous to a quasi-judicial authority. It carries the sanctity of judicial proceedings. Such hearings must be taken seriously. Non-compliance and non-appearance cannot be treated casually. The FAA should take strict action and write to the Director School Education for appropriate disciplinary action for non-compliance and non-appearance,” he said.
The controversy erupted after identical, evasive replies were reportedly issued by PIOs of Chief Education Officers across ten districts in response to RTI queries concerning regulation of private schools and fee-related practices. Instead of furnishing point-wise information or transferring applications under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, the replies allegedly stated that the “matter pertains to higher authorities,” raising concerns of patterned denial.
RTI applicant Suhail Dar reacted strongly, calling the episode a blow to the transparency mechanism. “This is a serious blow to the authority of the First Appellate office. Even after a formal written notice directing the concerned 10 PIOs to respond and appear, not a single officer showed up.”
“This is irony mockery of RTI and bureaucracy,” he said, alleging collective non-application of mind and systemic evasion.
Awami Reporter contacted Syed Shabir Ahmad (JKAS), Joint Director, Directorate of School Education Kashmir, who is serving as the First Appellate Authority in the matter. When asked whether such identical responses and lack of seriousness amounted to a mockery of the RTI Act or of the very chair he occupies, he responded that show-cause notices would be issued to all concerned officers. He further said necessary updates and action would follow.
The episode has sparked wider debate about whether the RTI mechanism at the district level is being reduced to a formality. Activists argue that if appellate hearings are not treated with the seriousness they deserve, the very spirit of the RTI Act — transparency, accountability, and rule of law — stands compromised.
With show-cause notices now reportedly on the anvil, attention shifts to whether corrective action will follow and whether accountability will be enforced within the education department. The coming days may determine whether this remains another procedural lapse — or becomes a defining moment for administrative transparency in the Valley.
