Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Proactive Information Disclosure Status

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Proactive Information Disclosure Status Update of Police and Prison Websites - Venkatesh Nayak Presented at People’s Right to Information Assessing Compliance Of Police and Prison Authorities with the Transparency Regime 20 – 21 September, 2014 The Grand, New Delhi

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Status Update of Police Dept. s’ Websites (Main)

Coverage and Parameters Ø Coverage § 29 States and Union Territory of Delhi (New States Andhra and Telangana Pol. Depts. share a common website) Ø Parameters of web-based disclosure § Section 4(1)(b) information – (Central & Jammu and Kashmir RTI laws) § Police Manuals and SOPs § Budget and expenditure – macro figures & details § Personnel strength – sanctioned and actual § Online FIR filing facility § Online access to FIR details § Crime statistics § Transfer orders

Website availability § Police Departments have dedicated websites in all States and Delhi (UT) § ‘English only’ websites (no local language version or info) – 70% § Entirely local language version - Gujarat § Bilingual websites - Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh § Information predominantly in local language – Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh § Assam Police Dept. invites readers to submit jokes about police with due regard for honour and dignity of the police – no entries till date

Sec 4(1)(b) information § All mandated categories of info not displayed – 55% websites § Police HQ and subordinate offices displaying info - Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Haryana, Kerala, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Uttar Pradesh – only info about PHQ missing § Strategic Police Plan, 5 -year plan and Annual Plans displayed - Himachal Pradesh only § Monthly receipt and disposal of RTI requests displayed – West Bengal only § Displaying info about immovable property returns of police officers – Bihar (up to 2012 only), Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Uttarakhand – non-gazetted officers only § Difficult to verify if info is updated in the absence of markers

Police Manual / SOPs / Strength § Police Manual / Detailed Rules displayed – 8 § SOPs / Circulars displayed - 9 websites (27%) websites (30%) § Sanctioned and actual strength displayed - 11 § FAQs about police procedures displayed - 6 websites (37%) websites (20%) § Locations of Police Stations displayed on Google Map - Sikkim § Jurisdiction of Police stations indicating direction from each village - Manipur § CHRI’s “ 101 Questions “ displayed - Haryana and Karnataka

Police Budgets – Macro and Detailed § Macro figures displayed for 2014 – 7 § Details displayed for 2014 - 5 websites (23%) websites (16%) § Budget details of Police HQ missing – Andhra and Telangana (but details displayed for district level offices) § Plan and non-plan expenditure details displayed – Delhi (8 years) § Quarterly budget figures displayed – Kerala § Range and district-wise budget figures displayed – Haryana § Obsolete figures – Madhya Pradesh (2009), Punjab and Tamil Nadu (2011), West Bengal (2010)

Online FIR filing and Access to FIR Details § Online FIR filing facility – Tamil Nadu (through CCTNS) and Himachal Pradesh § Online Complaint filing facility – Madhya Pradesh (does not amount to FIR) and Rajasthan (against police only through external website) § Online access to FIRs for any person – Punjab § Online access to FIRs by keying in FIR No. – 6 States: Punjab (some districts) , Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, § Online access to FIRs about vehicle thefts and accidents only – Haryana

Online Crime Stats and Transfer Orders § Online crime stats (annual or monthly or weekly display) – 57% websites only § Online crime stats daily display – Assam § Crime reports released through press notes only – Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur § GIS maps showing %age change in crime – Himachal Pradesh § Transfer orders displayed – 11 websites only (36. 6%) § Only appointment and promotion orders displayed – Tripura § Transfer orders of IPS officers only displayed – Mizoram, West Bengal § Obsolete data – Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh (2012 -13 only)

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative Status Update of Prison Dept. s’ Websites (Main)

Coverage and Parameters Ø Coverage § 29 States and Union Territory of Delhi (New States Andhra and Telangana Prison Depts. share a common website) Ø Parameters of web-based disclosure § Section 4(1)(b) information – (Central & Jammu and Kashmir RTI laws) § Prison Manuals § Budget and expenditure – macro figures & details § Personnel strength – sanctioned and actual § Details of Committees § Transfer orders

Website availability § Prison Departments lacking dedicated websites – 11 § Prison Department of Jammu and Kashmir – not (36. 6%) functional § ‘English only’ websites (no local language version or info) – 7 § Entirely local language version – Gujarat § Bilingual websites - (64%) and Uttar Pradesh Karnataka § Information predominantly in local language – Kerala

Sec 4(1)(b) information § All mandated categories of info displayed – 4 : Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh (fonts must be downloaded to access) § More info than mandated displayed - Rajasthan § Info displayed on State Information Commission website – § Info displayed on Home Dept. ’s websites – Bihar, § Info not updated since 2010/11 – Nagaland J & K, Odisha Andhra, Telangana, Haryana § Only info about products for sale displayed on website – § Claim of info compilation but no display – Delhi Mizoram Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh (with pics), Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu § Prison inmates’ stats displayed –

Prison Manual /Rules /Circulars /Strength § Prison Manual displayed – Bihar (on Home Dept. s’ website) § Prison related laws, rules, circulars, displayed – Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh (fonts required), West Bengal § CHRI’s booklets on FIR, arrest and bail displayed – Rajasthan Karnataka (2014 data) Arunachal Pradesh (2006 data), Bihar (2009), Haryana (2013 data) § Prison strength displayed –

Prison Budgets – Macro and Detailed § Macro and detailed figures displayed for 2014 – West Bengal § Macro figures only displayed – Gujarat per inmate spend also disclosed), Bihar, Karnataka, (2014) Tamil Nadu (2013 – Andhra and Telangana (2010) Haryana (2009 -10), Himachal Pradesh (2011 -12), Odisha (2002 -05 on Home Dept. ’s website), Rajasthan (200910), Uttar Pradesh (2013 fonts required), West Bengal (200209) § Obsolete but detailed figures displayed –

§ Info about Committees and Transfer Orders Mention of Committees – Andhra, Telangana, Bihar and Rajasthan (Parole, furlough, Visitors’ Board, Advisory Board for Premature Release of Convicts – no details about activities or circulars and guidelines § Claim in RTI Manual : “no committees constituted” – Haryana § Transfer orders displayed for 2014 – Maharashtra, Rajasthan § Transfer orders displayed for 2013 – Uttar Pradesh

For more information please contact: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative 55 A, 3 rd Floor Siddhartha Chambers, Kalu Sarai, New Delhi – 110 016 Email : venkatesh@humanrightsinitiative. org Tel : 011 -43180215/ 43180201 Fax : 011 -26864688 Website : www. humanrightsinitiative. org Thank you