-The Hindu The Right to Information Act was a marvel in a country that boasted unbreachable barriers between the ruler and the ruled. It was outside the imagination of the ordinary folk raised in a cloistered environment of fear and secrecy that they could actually call for and obtain records of decisions that critically impacted their lives. Yet in only seven years, the RTI law has not just penetrated the fortress...

-PTI The Union Cabinet on Thursday decided to withdraw controversial draft amendments to the Right to Information Act that had sought to restrict disclosure of file notings only to social and developmental issues. After this, all file notings can be made public except those explicitly exempted, such as the ones related to national security, Privacy and protection of commercial interest. “The Cabinet has decided to withdraw the amendments,” said a source privy to...

-Pratirodh.com The fanfare with which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi launched a service delivery scheme in Rajasthan based on the Aadhaar (foundation) unique identity (UID), and celebrated the issue of the first Aadhaar number topping the 200-million mark, should make the Indian National Congress a very worried party indeed—assuming it has a good survival instinct and basic grasp of practical politics.    To put it starkly, the Congress and...

-The Hindustan Times Government officials riding high on hopes that Privacy concerns could blunt the right to information are in for disappointment. An expert panel set up to build a framework for a Privacy regulation in India has brushed aside suggestions that the information law was trampling upon Privacy of public servants or individuals in public life. The Justice (retd) Ajit Prakash Shah panel has told the government that Privacy was only...

-Outlook Journalistic activities should be kept out of the purview of the proposed right to Privacy law, a government appointed expert panel has suggested. The group headed by retired Justice A P Shah, in its report, suggested that publication of personal data for artistic and journalistic purposes need not be considered as infringement of Privacy under the proposed legislation. Besides, the group suggested that government could exempt application of Privacy law in case...