RTI Act's Initial Promise and Setbacks
The RTI Act gave citizens the power to demand information from the government, recognizing them as the rulers of the nation.
It was considered one of the best transparency laws globally, with expectations to reduce corruption and increase accountability.
However, it has fallen short, as the state of democracy hasn’t improved as anticipated.
Government’s Response and Erosion of RTI
The government realized RTI transferred power from officials to citizens, leading to attempts to amend and weaken the law within the first year.
Citizens protested, forcing the government to drop proposed amendments.
Many information commissioners, mostly retired bureaucrats, were ineffective, working part-time and failing to clear backlogs, causing long delays in information requests.
Legal Setbacks and Interpretation Challenges
High Court rulings and Supreme Court judgments, particularly regarding exemptions under Section 8, weakened the RTI’s effectiveness, allowing governments to withhold information under broad claims of privacy.
The Supreme Court’s 2011 ruling criticized the RTI Act for being misused, labeling RTI users as troublemakers and harming administrative efficiency.
The Girish Ramchandra Deshpande case set a precedent for denying public interest information, significantly limiting transparency.
A Call to Defend RTI
Citizens must defend the RTI Act to preserve their right to access government information, a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
Media and public engagement are crucial to discussing and defending the Act's true purpose.
Without defense, the RTI could lose its original power, leading to a further erosion of citizens' right to access government information.
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