The Kerala Assembly has passed a landmark law that makes Coca-Cola liable for damages of up to Rs 216 crore for alleged pollution and exploitation of groundwater at its bottling plant in northern Palakkad district. A committee appointed by the state government has quantified the loss caused by the plant to the local community at Rs 216 crore since the soft drinks maker set up the unit in arid Plachimada. The previous...

 In a major development, the Punjab government has finalised a policy for grant of protection to RTI Activists. A statement to this effect was made by a law officer appearing on behalf of the government today during the resumed hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Advocate H C Arora, State President of RTI Activists Federation, Punjab. In his PIL, the petitioner had sought directions to Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh Administration...

After the death of RTI Activist Jabbardan Gadhvi in Kutch, his brother Malvadan Gadhvi has threatened to end his life if he is not provided with the information his brother asked for. The incident has sent shockwaves in Kutch district and the Congress is planning a rally on February 24 on this issue. On the other hand, four policeman including the Rapar police sub-inspector were suspended. The talati of Rapar...

The Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC) has pocketed over Rs 1 crore by allowing pharma companies to conduct clinical trials of drugs on its patients — victims of the gas disaster of 1984. Shockingly, out of the 7 trials carried out in the hospital since 2004, only one was inspected or monitored by the government watchdog Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). This was revealed in response to...

Thanks to the Right to Information Act, 2005, and also the activism of NGOs and of the media, a culture of accountability is growing in the country. That is the good news. However, the media, NGOs and RTI Activists can only do so much. They can focus the attention of the public and parliamentarians on egregious scams, but rarely address the systemic flaws that result in leakage of funds. We have...