By Prarthana Mitra
The centre on Thursday made a bid to move the controversial RTI amendment bill at the parliament today. The motion took place amid much hue, cry and objections raised by the opposition and activists alike. The bill was listed for “introduction, consideration and passing” in the Monsoon Session.
.@BJP4India govt had listed RTI Amendment Bill for introduction in Rajya Sabha today. Bill deferred, but not dropped. Peoples struggle will carry on till govt drops regressive amendments to RTI & operationalises Whistleblower Protection Act #SaveRTI #ProtectWhistleBlower pic.twitter.com/zwCJWUlvA3
— Anjali Bhardwaj (@AnjaliB_) July 19, 2018
What does it propose?
The new Right To Information Act or RTI proposes to amend the salaries and tenures of Information Commissioners at both state and central levels. Political analysts and pro-RTI activists claim that such a coercive measure could weaken the act and hamper the autonomy of those appointed to uphold it. RTI activist Maruti Bhapkar told the Indian Express, that with the power to appreciate or remove the commissioners, they would now be under considerable “pressure not to annoy the government, which means they would be biased on delivering justice”.
Modi Sarkar uses technicalities to sabotage anti-corruption regime set up by UPA. No sign of Lokpal. Attempts to weaken Whistleblowers Protection.
Now BJP aims to weaken RTI. Add dubious electoral bonds. BJP will do everything possible to खाओ और खिलाओ their cronies #SaveRTI pic.twitter.com/nqk7FdwdOd
— Rajeev Gowda (@rajeevgowda) July 18, 2018
The Information Commission is a statutory body formed to look into complaints and requests for information under the RTI, which was introduced in 2005.
The tabled Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2018, if passed would confer to Information Commissioners indefinite tenures “as may be prescribed by the central government”, instead of the stipulated five-year term they currently hold.
Changes to their salaries would also be left to the discretion of the Central government. At present, Information Commissioners earn the same as Election Commission officials, which the BJP government does not think is a fair or “good practice.”
Does this spell doom for the Act itself?
The national capital was rife with protests from all corners – the opposition, regional parties and politically conscious citizens, who are the real stakeholders of the RTI Act.
RTI activists, anti-corruption workers and the relatives of those who died trying to expose administrative corruption. The lack of information regarding the contents of the bill is ironical given the backdrop of the changes proposed. Activists have filed an RTI petition regarding complete transparency, backed by opposition parties like the Congress, the Left, the Trinamool Congress, AAP, and RJD.
PM Modi is trying to dilute RTI to hide “Organised Loot&Plunder†of his government on many occasions under his direct supervision. pic.twitter.com/byJU8KNayv
— Dr Shakeel Ahmad (@Ahmad_Shakeel) July 19, 2018
“The central government wants complete control of the system. It is a move aimed at completely wrecking the autonomy and independence of the RTI Act”, RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar said in an interview with the Indian Express, asking, “When the Act itself provides for the salaries and tenures of the information commission, why is there a need for the government to meddle with it?”
Opposing the dilution of the RTI Act, the Congress has gone as far as to accuse the BJP-led central government of “destroying” legal instruments that facilitate transparency and accountability in the country.
Every Indian has the right to know the truth. The BJP believes the truth must be hidden from the people and they must not question people in power. The changes proposed to the RTI will make it a useless Act. They must be opposed by every Indian. #SaveRTI pic.twitter.com/4mjBTwQnYK
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 19, 2018
Furthermore, this amendment is redundant and suspicious, considering that the RTI Act already has a provision for the removal of information commissioners. By bringing in the amendment, the government is “violating the pre-legislative consultative policy”, said former Central Information Commissioner (CIC) Shailesh Gandhi. He also suspects the timing of the move, as the Central Information Commission currently faces pressure to respond to RTIs regarding the educational qualifications of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Activists fear dilution of RTI
RTI activist @AnjaliB_ on @LRC_NDTV pic.twitter.com/kmjzUXnxLi
— NDTV (@ndtv) July 19, 2018
From where things stand right now, it loosk as if the government is hell-bent on making the commission accountable to it, and in doing so, rob us of our right to seeks answers to matters shrouded by political bureaucracy.
Prarthana Mitra is a staff writer at Qrius
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