NEW DELHI: At a time when the CIC is battling a shortage of information commissioners and a huge backlog of cases, a deluge of RTIs by an applicant since 2012 has left the information body stumped. Wondering if the right to information is "absolute and unconditional", information commissioner Divya Prakash Sinha in an order directed the appellant to make "judicious use of his time" and warned him against misuse of the RTI Act The application was for information from Indian Ordnance Factory in Raipur regarding a test that had taken place in 2012, been scrapped and, thereafter, held again the same year. The applicant, who had appeared for both tests, was not selected. Since then, RP Verma, the appellant, has been filing RTIs along with his wife and daughter.Coming down hard on Verma, Sinha said: "It appears the appellant has grossly misconceived the idea of exercising his Right to Information as being absolute and unconditional. It is rather unfortunate that even the best of intentions have to not only stand the test of procedural requirements and fetters laid down in the Act but also the test of practicality."Citing a number of cases in the Supreme Court as well as lower courts, Sinha observed in his judgment that the appellant had been "persistently" filing applications seeking "almost similar information in different manner" to "merely pressurise the public authority into acceding to his request of change of trade".Sinha's order is scathing in its indictment of the series of RTIs, which he terms as being a bid to "clearly harass the public authority".