RTI Row Deepens Over Alleged Irregularities in Home Guard Volunteer Appointments

A CORRESPONDENT

NALBARI: Fresh controversy has erupted in Assam over the appointment of Home Guard volunteers after a series of contradictory orders by the Assam State Information Commission raised serious questions over transparency and accountability in the recruitment process.

Pankaj Choudhury, a Home Guard volunteer from Nijbahjani in Nalbari district, has submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Assam alleging irregularities in the appointment process and seeking immediate intervention.

In his memorandum, Choudhury stated that on August 30, 2012, he had sought information related to the deployment and appointment of Home Guard volunteers under the Right to Information Act, 2005. However, departmental authorities refused to provide the information, citing Section 8(1) of the Act. He subsequently filed a second appeal before the Assam State Information Commission.

According to Choudhury, in 2015 the commission had clearly observed that exemption under the RTI Act applied only to the Home Guard Battalion and not to Home Guard volunteers. At that time, the commission also emphasized that the appointment process must remain transparent and fair, and directed that the requested information be provided.

However, when he again sought similar information in 2022, departmental officials once more denied access, this time citing a government notification issued in 2006. Relying on the same notification, the Assam State Information Commission in 2023 also declined to order disclosure.

Choudhury later discovered that the 2006 notification had already been revoked by the State Government in 2007.

In a fresh development, however, an order issued on April 30, 2026, again stated that Home Guard volunteers were exempt from the provisions of the Right to Information Act. The latest ruling has deepened confusion and triggered fresh concern over conflicting interpretations by the commission.

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