The Delhi Government has notified a law that stipulates a penalty, which could go up a maximum of Rs 5,000, against officials for delays and negligence. The Delhi (Right of Citizens to Time-Bound and Easy Delivery of Services) Act, 2026, aims to ensure that Government departments deliver services within prescribed timelines and that officials responsible for unnecessary delays are held accountable.
It has provisions to impose a penalty of Rs 250 per day, up to a maximum of Rs 5,000, against erring officials. The notified Act will replace the existing time-bound service delivery law of 2011 with a more modern and accountable system.
In a statement, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the new rules are inspired by PM Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’.
The Delhi Government, through a separate notification, specified which services will come under the Act and the maximum number of days within which each service must be delivered, the CMO statement said.
A designated officer will be made responsible for every service. The law will also cover the departments, local bodies and notified institutions. This will make it easier to fix responsibility whenever an application remains pending.
The Act provides for online applications for Government services as well as digital monitoring of their progress.
Every application will be assigned a unique application number, allowing applicants to track its status online. The departments concerned will be required to maintain digital records of all applications and regularly update their status.
Once an application is received, the designated officer will be responsible for either delivering the service within the prescribed timeline or communicating the reason for its rejection in writing. An important provision of the Act is the system of automatic escalation of appeals. If a designated officer fails to deliver a service within the prescribed timeline, the original application itself will be treated as an appeal before the Citizen Grievance Redressal Authority. Citizens will not have to file a separate appeal merely because of the delay.
In every department, an officer senior to the designated officer will be appointed as the Citizen Grievance Redressal Authority. The authority will hear the matter, direct the delivery of the service wherever necessary and fix responsibility for the delay.
Appeals will ordinarily have to be disposed of within 30 days. If the authority fails to resolve an appeal within the prescribed period, the matter will automatically be escalated to the Delhi Service Rights Commission.
Besides hearing second appeals, the commission will monitor the implementation of the Act. It will have the authority to inspect Government offices, recommend departmental action, suggest improvements in procedures and initiate inquiries suo motu wherever necessary.
The new law also provides for monetary penalties to ensure accountability among Government officials.
If a service is delayed without a valid reason, the officer concerned may be fined Rs 250 for each day of delay up to a maximum penalty of Rs 5,000. In addition, an officer may face a one-time penalty ranging from Rs 250 to Rs 5,000 for rejecting an application without proper or sufficient grounds.