Sanjay Mishra/Chandigarh
Punjab State Information Commission’s Commissioner, Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, has disposed of 175 cases filed under the RTI Act by a single individual.
Providing details on the matter, a spokesperson of the Punjab State Information Commission stated that these 175 cases were filed by Sarabjit Singh Gill, a resident of Maha Singh Nagar located on Daba-Lohara Road in Ludhiana, and were listed for hearings on various dates in August before the bench of Commissioner Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal.
According to the spokesperson, out of the total cases filed by Sarabjit Singh Gill, 36 cases were listed for hearing on August 5, 2025, 26 on August 6, 35 on August 7, 30 on August 19, and 26 on August 20, 2025. The concerned parties appeared with the relevant information, and each case was individually heard by the Commissioner.
The spokesperson further informed that the complainant, Sarabjit Singh Gill, did not appear during the hearings. As a result, the Commission granted him an additional 10 days to present his cases. However, he still failed to do so within the given time.
Later, the Commissioner held re-hearings for these cases on August 20 and August 28, 2025. Since the complainant did not present his cases, all 175 cases filed by Sarabjit Singh Gill were disposed of.
While hearing the Commission observed that this persistent absence and non-participation caused substantial wastage of the Commission’s time and resources and led to unnecessary disruption of official duties of Respondent Public Authorities, who were repeatedly required to attend hearings and file replies. Such conduct not only prejudices the rights of genuine litigants but also hampers the Commission’s ability to effectively address its heavy pendency of cases.
The Commission reiterated that in view of the growing pendency, frivolous, repetitive, and abandoned litigation cannot be allowed to consume public resources. Accordingly, the appeals filed by Sarabjeet Singh Gill were dismissed for non-prosecution.
It is also noteworthy that Sarabjit Singh Gill had been blacklisted by the Chief Information Commissioner of the Punjab State Information Commission on February 25, 2025, for alleged misuse of the RTI Act.
