In a significant development, the Assam State Information Commission has taken strong action against RTI activist Dulal Bora, who has been accused of misusing the Right to Information (RTI) Act for personal gain. The Commission has decided to keep all second appeals and complaints filed by Bora in abeyance until further orders, citing his alleged involvement in extortion and misuse of the RTI Act.

According to the Commission, Bora had filed an astonishing 2173 second appeals, which were pending before the Commission till December 31, 2019. Out of these, 944 cases were filed after the stipulated time limit had expired. The Commission has requested the First Appellate Authorities to inform them if Bora's first appeals were rejected due to inordinate delay in submission or admitted.

The Commission's decision comes after it received a report from the CID, Assam, which alleged that Bora had been indicted in 31 criminal cases related to extortion, conspiracy, and cheating. The report also stated that Bora had amassed huge sums of money and properties through his alleged extortion activities.

Bora's actions have caused delays in the disposal of other appeals and complaints filed by citizens, and have also put a roadblock in the functioning of public authorities. His modus operandi involves filing RTI applications, threatening public officials, and demanding money in exchange for withdrawing the applications. The Commission has observed that this behavior is a clear misuse of the RTI Act.

The RTI Act is a fundamental right, but it cannot be used indiscriminately to fulfill the demands of one individual. Various judgments and observations of the Supreme Court and High Courts have emphasized the need to prevent the misuse of the RTI Act. The Commission has taken note of these judgments and has decided to take action against Bora.

Public authorities must be proactive in disclosing information suo moto under Section 4 of the RTI Act, to prevent incidents of misuse of the RTI Act by unscrupulous persons. The Commission has emphasized the importance of this provision in preventing the misuse of the RTI Act.

Bora's actions have caused harm to the public interest and have undermined the faith of citizens in the RTI Act. The RTI Act is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability, but it must be used responsibly and not for personal gain. The Commission has decided to keep Bora's second appeals and complaints in abeyance until further orders.

The decision to keep Bora's second appeals and complaints in abeyance is based on the findings of the CID report. The report stated that Bora had amassed huge sums of money and properties through his alleged extortion activities, and had also been involved in various other criminal activities. The Commission has relied on this report to take action against Bora.

The details of the CID report are as follows:

• Dulal Bora, a self-proclaimed RTI activist had filed 2173 second appeals, which were pending till December 31, 2019.

• Out of these, 944 cases were filed after the stipulated time limit had expired.

• The CID report alleged that Bora had been indicted in 31 criminal cases related to extortion, conspiracy, and cheating.

• The report stated that Bora had amassed huge sums of money and properties through his alleged extortion activities.

• The report also stated that Bora had been involved in various other criminal activities, including cheating, forgery, and threatening public officials.

The Commission's investigation has uncovered a modus operandi of Bora's illegal activities, which includes:

·         Collecting information about government officials through RTI using his conduits in various departments.

·         Lodging complaints/allegations against officials accusing them of committing serious offenses.

·         Establishing contacts with officials through his conduits and agents.

·         Demanding money in return for withdrawal of allegations and complaints.

·         Withdrawing complaints and allegations if paid or promised to be paid.