THE MERE suggestion of any amendment to the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, sends civil society into a tizzy. Perhaps this level of anxiety is necessary to protect the common man’s most important tool to hold the government accountable. But what if the RTI is dying, not because of government intervention but negligence? The pendency of complaints and appeals in several states is on the rise, while the number of...
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CIC Shailesh Gandhi interviewed by Shonali Ghosal
Is the shortage of information commissioners responsible for killing RTI? That’s not the only thing responsible. The bigger issue is that commissioners need to dispose of far more cases than they have been. Three years ago, they were disposing of not more than 2,000-2,500 cases in a year. Even now, there are lots who do not manage even 1,000 per year. If we continue like this, then no number of commissioners...
More »Delhi High Court notices to Centre and CIC
-The Hindu The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Union Government and the Central Information Commission (CIC) on a public interest litigation by two RTI activists seeking a direction to fill vacant posts of Information Commissioners and the subordinate staff in the CIC. Issuing the notices, a Division Bench of the Court comprising Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw directed the respondents to file replies...
More »RBI wants stay on CIC order on Panipat resident's RTI plea by Anita Singh
Reluctant to reveal the names of top 100 bank loan defaulter businessmen of the country, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, seeking a stay on the orders passed by the Central Information Commission (CIC). On November 15, CIC, while deciding a petition filed by local RTI activist P P Kapoor, had directed the RBI to provide him the names of defaulters by...
More »Government website on Bhopal gas tragedy shows old figures
-IANS For over a year now a section of a Madhya Pradesh government website has not updated information on the Bhopal gas tragedy. And the facts and figures it gives out are two-three years old. The section of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, a part of www.mpinfo.org, was last updated Dec 9, 2010, while the facts and figures mentioned on it are of 2008 and 2009. The site, which has 10...
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