9 Karnataka RTI applicants behind half of 45,000 pending pleas challenge ban

The Karnataka Information Commission has blacklisted nine RTI activists, accounting for more than half of the 45,000 pending second appeals in the state, according to the Karnataka High Court. The KIC's counsel argued that these applications are clogging the system and hindering the resolution of legitimate cases. Advocate G B Sharath Gowda claimed that if four petitioners were removed, the total pendency would decrease by half.

However, Justice Suraj Govindaraj expressed doubt about genuine applicants' pending applications. Petitioners include former zilla parishad member Jagadeesh M, who filed over 1,300 RTI applications, and G R Sudheendhra, who has submitted 6,482 appeals. The court granted an interim stay on the blacklisting order and directed the petitioners to submit affidavits detailing their RTI applications, along with a list of pending appeals from each petitioner, by September 21.