-Deccan Herald Proposed amendment criticised for being harsh on applicants A proposed amendment in the Right to Information Act may end up diluting the Act, according to an RTI activist.  The amendment will make it mandatory for an appellant to be present in person or send a representative during case hearing by the Centre of Information Centre (CIC). “The appellant may be present in person, through an authorised representative or through video conferencing at...

-The Indian Express Mumbai: The amended Maharashtra Right to Information (RTI) Rules have not been issued for curtailing the freedom of expression of citizens or to harass them, the state government told the Bombay High Court on Thursday. The government stand, stated in an affidavit, came in response to a public interest litigation challenging restrictions pertaining to word limit and of limiting one application for information to one subject. The affidavit was...

-The Economic Times A year after the Centre shelved a move of introducing norms, including a 250-word limit on RTI applications, it has resurrected the proposal. The file pertaining to draft RTI rules has been sent to Prime Minister's Office, putting the proposal back on the agenda of UPA-II. The Centre had in November, 2010, sought to introduce amendment to RTI rules for filing applications. The rules framed by the Department...

-The Hindu Once a Bill is tabled in Parliament after Cabinet nod, there can be no bar on disclosing the contents The Central Information Commission (CIC) has ruled that once a Bill has been tabled in Parliament, the Cabinet decision and file notings relating to it can be made public. Ordering the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to produce the Cabinet note, papers and file notings relating to the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority...

By repeatedly decrying the CAG and trying to malign the person occupying that Constitutional office, the UPA government is weakening an important pillar of democracy and lowering its own credibility Admitting that there is a great deal of uncertainty and a perception of policy paralysis in the government these days, a senior Cabinet colleague of the prime minister recently observed that it was being created by the activities of (Comptroller and...