Right to Hearing Act, 2012

4.1 Background and Significance

Rajasthan's Right to Hearing Act, 2012 is a landmark governance innovation born of the state's tradition of participatory democracy and civil society pressure (MKSS, Jan Sunwais). It was enacted by the Gehlot Congress government in December 2012 and is the first such law in the world at the Panchayat level.

The Act was initially focused on Panchayats but was soon extended to cover all state government offices. It builds upon the Right to Public Service concept and integrates with the Rajasthan Sampark grievance portal (helpline 181).

4.2 Key Provisions

• Every citizen can submit an application, complaint, or request to any Panchayat or government office
• The officer must acknowledge receipt within 7 days and provide a substantive response within 21 days (complex cases: 30 days)
• If the officer fails, the matter can be appealed to the appellate authority; second appeal goes to state Grievance Redressal Officer
• If appeal fails, the citizen can approach the Lokayukta (Ombudsman for state government)
• Designated hearing officers are named for each department
• Jansunwais (Public Hearings): Structured public meetings where citizens present grievances before a panel of officers with authority to take on-the-spot decisions — inspired by MKSS's Jan Sunwai model

4.3 Impact and Limitations

Positive Outcomes

• Formalized the process for citizens to make demands on government
• Integrated with Jan Aadhaar for tracking beneficiary complaints
• Rajasthan Sampark (helpline 181) handles ~2 crore complaints annually
• 3-tier Jansunwai system operational at GP, Sub-Division, and District levels

Limitations

• Compliance rate is uneven — many gram sachivs and government officers routinely ignore the time limits
• Penalties for non-compliance are rarely invoked
• Rural illiterate populations are unaware of the Act
• The Act has been more effective in urban (Nagar Palika) settings than rural (Gram Panchayat) ones

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