Articles by Shailesh Gandhi

The Girish Ramchandra Deshpande judgment has had the effect of amending the Right to Information Act. The denying of personal information in this case under the RTI Act is contrary to the law and constricts the fundamental right of citizens far beyond what is permitted in Article 19(2). If steps are not taken to correct this, a major objective of the RTI Act, to curb corruption and wrongdoing, will be impeded.

A recent judgment of the Supreme Court reduces the number of benches which can hear appeals and complaints under the Right to Information Act. The prime minister too has expressed worry about the incidence of frivolous right-to-information applicants that takes up offi cial time, intrudes on privacy and may even discourage private entities from joining public private partnerships. Vigilant citizens must debate these events and see how they affect a powerful law that has given citizens the right to demand good governance.