-The Times of India CHENNAI: Seeking and giving information under Right to Information Act has been a cat-and-mouse game for citizens and officials since the legislation came into effect in October, 2005. Now, senior bureaucrats are giving crash courses to public information officers (PIOs) on how to delay or deny information to applicants. At informal sessions, officers coach PIOs - responsible for giving information under the act - how to redirect queries...

-Outlook Former Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi and transparency activist Aruna Roy today moved the Supreme Court, seeking a review of its verdict on appointment of people from judiciary in information panels. They submitted that information commissions are not judicial tribunals and its members are not required to be judicially and legally trained. "The judgement has the potential of seriously impairing the RTI Act. The commissions are not judicial tribunals as they are not...

-Live Mint Information commission asks Sebi to disclose details of consent order proceedings, identities of entities involved  Mumbai/New Delhi: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed India’s stock market regulator to disclose all details related to the insider trading case involving Reliance Petroleum Ltd (RPL) in 2007, in a move that could have a bearing on not just the functioning of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), but also the...

-PTI The CIC will seek a report from income tax department and directorate of estate regarding tax exemptions claimed by political parties and their assets to ascertain whether there is enough indirect funding from the government to bring them under the ambit of RTI Act.  The CIC is considering the case whether political parties, which receive benefits from the government in the form of subsidised buildings for offices, free air-time and various...

-The Hindustan Times Crediting the Right to Information (RTI) Act with demystifying the government and how it works, the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of India has said the Act has revolutionised the way we are governed. “No longer is the government a mystery. It (RTI Act) has robbed the government of its certainty. Everything can be questioned,” said CIC Satyananda Mishra during a conference of Lokayuktas. Enacted by Parliament in 2005, the RTI...