Srinagar, July 4 -- Srinagar- The High Court of J&K and Ladakh has refused to impose a 45-day deadline on the Central Information Commission (CIC) for deciding second appeals under the Right to Information Act, holding that courts cannot prescribe a timeline absent in the statute. At the same time, it made clear that the Commission cannot keep appeals pending indefinitely and must take steps to reduce delays and improve its functioning.

A Division Bench of the Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Mohd Yousuf Wani passed the order while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Junaid Javid, a resident of Uri in Baramulla, seeking direction upon the CIC to decide all pending appeals, particularly those filed by re...