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Protecting India's Sunshine Law
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.
India’s Right to Information (RTI) Act has been rated as the second best in the world by international agencies. However, the actual implementation of the law leaves a lot to be desired. RTI users across the country have been trying to ensure improvement in its functioning. Concerned citizens have adopted the Act as their own, and zealously warded off government’s attempts to weaken it with amendments so far. While institutions of the state are supposed to implement laws, in this case it is citizens who are enforcing the law. They badger public information officers (PIOs), the first appellate authorities and commissioners to ensure that the Act works properly. RTI exposures are responsible for unearthing many of the scams that have been making the headlines of late. However, two events in the recent past are very disturbing as far as the future of RTI is concerned.
Alarming Events
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