Kalaburagi Information Commission Bench disposes of 3,694 cases in a year

The Kalaburagi Bench of the Karnataka Information Commission disposed of 3,694 cases after conducting hearings on 188 days over the past year. It has imposed fines totalling ₹7.78 lakh on 80 public information officers for failing to provide information on time and ordered compensation of ₹96,000 to 35 applicants, State Information Commissioner B. Venkata Singh said on Friday.

Addressing a press conference at the Bench’s office in the Mahal-e-Shahi Guest House in Kalaburagi, Mr. Singh outlined its performance after completing one year in office.

“Hearings began on November 25, 2025, and the Bench has taken up 7,262 cases so far, of which 3,694 have been disposed of. Of the fines imposed, ₹7.37 lakh has been recovered. A total of 20,398 second appeals seeking information have been filed before the Kalaburagi Bench. Of these, 13,468 have been disposed of, while 6,930 remain pending. The Bench has been accepting second appeals at Kalaburagi since February this year and has received 2,432 applications through this process,” he said.

As per the information Mr. Singh shared, district-wise pendency stands at 2,059 cases in Raichur, 1,483 in Kalaburagi, 885 in Ballari, 665 in Yadgir, 649 in Koppal, 629 in Vijayanagara and 560 in Bidar.

“An important development is the Commission’s decision to declare the Kalaburagi and Yadgir District Cooperative Central Banks public authorities under the Right to Information framework. In another case, three sub-inspectors attached to the Sirwar Police Station were each fined ₹25,000 for delaying the provision of CCTV footage. The Commission also recommended action against them, following which the Police Department issued notices,” he said.

Proposal for permanent building

Mr. Singh said that the Kalaburagi Bench, which has been functioning since 2024, covered the seven districts of the Kalyana Karnataka region and currently operated from a Public Works Department building.

“Letters have been written to the Chief Minister, the district in-charge Minister and the Deputy Commissioner seeking land for a permanent building. A proposal has also been submitted to the government to address staff shortages. Workshops have been organised in all seven districts to clarify doubts among public information officers about the implementation of the Right to Information process,” Mr. Singh said.