India's landmark Right to Information Legislation is called the biggest single step since independence to build transparency in governance. However, its remarkable success is owed only to just 0.3 per cent of Indians who file RTI applications. It's anybody's guess as to what would be the impact if even one or two per cent of Indians began to ask tough questions to hold their rulers accountable. It is noteworthy that...
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8 years on, RTI Act counts its milestones -Shyamlal Yadav
-The Indian Express Eight years may seem like a short stretch to appraise a landmark law such as the Right To Information Act, especially in a large and diverse country such as India. But the transparency law enacted on October 12, 2005, has managed to leave its imprint in this short period, becoming a new weapon in the hands of people. Not only has the RTI act been used to know more about...
More »40 lakh used their right to information in 2011-12 -Anahita Mukherji
-The Times of India MUMBAI: On the eighth anniversary of India's landmark transparency legislation today, data mined on the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows it is, indeed, India's sunshine law, with an estimated 40 lakh people using the Act during 2011-12, the latest year for which all-India data is available. The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an independent organisation closely associated with the RTI legislation, data-mined annual reports filed by the...
More »Let's All Come To The Party-Anjali Bhardwaj, Amrita Johri and Shekhar Singh
-Outlook Transparency promotes democracy, more the reason for political parties to come under RTI Act's purview There was great public outrage when legislators in Mumbai beat up an assistant police inspector because he stopped an MLA's car for speeding on the Bandra-Worli sealink. The sentiment was: What arrogance! How can lawmakers have so little respect for the laws they themselves made? However, the amendment in Parliament aimed at removing political parties...
More »Nothing fast about Maharashtra's fast-track courts, shows RTI query -Kajal Iyer
-CNN-IBN Mumbai: The trial in the Delhi gangrape-murder case has set an example for other cases of crimes against women. Soon after the verdict, the Maharashtra Home Minister announced that the trial in the Mumbai gangrape case will also be fast-tracked. But an RTI query filed by CNN-IBN exposes the dismal records of fast-track courts. An assurance was made by the Maharashtra government soon after the photojournalist was gangraped in Mumbai's Shakti...
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