“Competent authority” under the Right to Information Act, 2005 does no

“Competent authority” under the Right to Information Act, 2005 does not mean

Chief Minister of Delhi
Speaker in case of Legislative Assembly of Delhi
Chairman in case of Legislative Council of Uttar Pradesh
Vice-President of India in case of Council of States
This question was previously asked in
UPSC SO-Steno – 2017
Section 2(c) of the RTI Act defines “competent authority” for different institutions.
A) Chief Minister of Delhi: The Chief Minister is the head of the executive in Delhi. Section 2(c) lists the Speaker for the Legislative Assembly, Chairman for the Legislative Council/Council of States, Chief Justice for Supreme Court/High Court, President/Governor for other constitutional authorities, Administrator under Art 239, or a person/group authorised by the appropriate Government. The Chief Minister is not listed as a “competent authority” for any institution under Section 2(c).
B) Speaker in case of Legislative Assembly of Delhi: Delhi has a Legislative Assembly. The Speaker of a Legislative Assembly is defined as a competent authority under Section 2(c)(i).
C) Chairman in case of Legislative Council of Uttar Pradesh: Uttar Pradesh has a Legislative Council. The Chairman of a Legislative Council is defined as a competent authority under Section 2(c)(ii).
D) Vice-President of India in case of Council of States: The Vice-President is the ex-officio Chairman of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha). The Chairman of the Council of States is defined as a competent authority under Section 2(c)(ii).
– Section 2(c) provides a specific list of competent authorities for different types of public authorities.
– The list includes heads of legislative bodies, judicial bodies, and constitutional authorities.
– The Chief Minister is not included in this list of competent authorities under the RTI Act.
The competent authority is responsible for matters related to the RTI Act within their respective institutions, such as appointing Public Information Officers and Appellate Authorities.