Can I file a writ in Surat against the state information commission for delaying my RTI appeal?

Detailed Legal Analysis

Yes, you can file a writ petition before the Gujarat High Court under Article 226 if the State Information Commission constituted under Gujarat Rent Control Act 1999 unreasonably delays hearing your second appeal on a Surat-related RTI application. The Gujarat High Court has held that the Commission is duty-bound to dispose of appeals within the time prescribed and that chronic delay violates the right to information guaranteed under the Act.

Your writ should annex the original RTI application, the first appeal order, and the second appeal acknowledgment with the date of filing. The court may direct the Commission to hear and decide the appeal within a fixed period and to pay costs if the delay is egregious.

Follow up with the Commission office for the hearing date, as listing delays are common and the court expects you to have pursued the alternative remedy first.