Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | RTI activists deplore proposed exclusion of CBI, NIA and NATGRID

RTI activists deplore proposed exclusion of CBI, NIA and NATGRID

Share this article Share this article
published Published on May 19, 2011   modified Modified on May 19, 2011
-The Hindu
 
The National Campaign for People's Right to Information has expressed its concern at the reported official move to exclude agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) from the Right to Information Act.

In a statement signed by Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Prashant Bhushan, Venkatesh Nayak and Anjali Bharadwaj, among others, the NCPRI described the proposed exclusion as a setback to the regime of transparency established when the RTI Act came into force.

The signatories reminded the government of its 2009 promise to review the organisations already excluded from the Act. Instead, the government was proposing to add [more members] to the excluded list, without any public consultation. The signatories said under Section 24 of the Act, only intelligence and security organisations could claim immunity from the obligations of transparency. But the CBI and the NIA, which were investigative agencies established by laws of Parliament, were uninvolved in any kind of intelligence gathering. Nor were they involved in the maintenance of security.

The signatories also pointed out that while vetting the RTI Bill in 2004, the Standing Committee of Parliament on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, had made it clear that Section 24 was intended only for public authorities mandated to perform duties relating to national security and the maintenance of law and order.

“Excluding the CBI and the NIA will amount to violating the letter and the spirit of the RTI Act. Such a move is in excess of the powers delegated to the Central government and can be challenged before the courts.”

The signatories said that they believed Section 8 of the RTI Act provided adequate cover for sensitive information held by any and every agency of the State: “The NCPRI demands that the government abandon the exercise of insulating the CBI, NIA and NATGRID from transparency obligations under the RTI Act. Instead, the government may undertake, through a participatory and public process, a review of the organisations already listed in Schedule 2.”

The Hindu, 19 May, 2011, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2031173.ece


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close