J&K online RTI portal will be made public soon: Jammu and Kashmir High Court told

The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration recently informed the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh that the Union Territory's online RTI portal is already operating on a restricted network and will be made public soon [Mohammad Tuyyab Malik and Another v. Arun Kumar Mehta]..In view of this submission, the High Court on November 12 closed a contempt petition filed against the government on concerns that the Court's earlier directive to establish an online Right to Information (RTI) portal was yet to be complied with. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice MA Chowdhary observed that the compliance report submitted by the government adequately detailed the steps taken in response to the Court’s order of March 2022. “Compliance to order dated 11.09.2024 has been filed. A perusal of the compliance report reveals that the directions issued by this Court have been duly complied with. In view of the compliance report, nothing survives to adjudicate in the present contempt petition," the Court said. .The Court had earlier directed the Chief Secretary to take necessary steps to establish an online RTI portal in Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate citizens in filing applications and obtaining information from government departments.Activists Mohammad Tuyyab Malik and Mohammad Khurram Qureshi later filed a contempt of court petition against J&K's Chief Secretary since no such RTI portal had been set up yet. .A compliance report submitted subsequently by the J&K government highlighted several measures undertaken to enhance the functionality and usability of the RTI portal, which the government said is presently working in a restricted network.The government submitted that the portal, developed in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), J&K, has been customized to align with the RTI portals of Karnataka and Ladakh. This customization ensures a user-friendly interface, making it easier for government officials and citizens to navigate the platform.According to the report, the General Administration Department has directed all administrative secretaries to nominate nodal officers for each department. These officers were onboarded to the portal and trained in a capacity-building session conducted by the NIC, J&K, on October 28, 2024. They will now serve as master trainers to educate other officials.The report further stated that the portal is currently operational within a restricted NICNET network and is undergoing final testing. It will be made accessible to the general public following its formal launch, the report added..During hearings of the matter, the Court had emphasized that an online RTI portal is a significant step toward ensuring transparency and upholding the Right to Information Act, 2005. The Court had further stressed the need for the government to expedite the portal's public launch to make the facility accessible to citizens..Advocates Faheem Nissar Shah and Maha Majeed represented the J&K government, while the petitioners were represented by Advocate Mehreen Altaf..[Read order].[Read Compliance Report]