Right to information act, 2005“A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce, or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives”INTRODUCTION:Information is the currency that every citizen requires to participate in the life and governance of society.
Section 2 ( f) provides definition of information, what can be information? What supposed to be form of information? Section 2 (f) is reproduced as below V) 'information' means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mai.
Executive at all levels attempts to withhold information to increase its scope for control, patronage, and the arbitrary, corrupt and unaccountable exercise of power. Therefore, demystification of rules and procedures, complete transparency and pro-active dissemination of this relevant information amongst the public is potentially a very strong safeguard against corruption. Ultimately the most effective systemic check on corruption would be where the citizen herself or himself has the right to take the initiative to seek information from the state, and thereby to enforce transparency and accountability.Access to Information (ATI) is an essential step in ensuring transparency and accountability in government systems and processes.
If transparency and accountability are the imperatives for sustaining democratic governance, access to information is a vital instrument of societal transformation. When a government is transparent, there is less chance for corruption and more room for accountability. That’s why Freedom of Information Acts (FOIAs) are becoming standard good practice in the international arena.ORIGIN AND TRENDS:The first RTI law was enacted by Sweden in 1766, followed by the US, which enacted its first law in 1966 and then by Norway in 1970. By 1990, the number of countries with FOI laws climbed to 13. A big step forward was the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in 2000, which included both freedom of expression and the right of access to documents. The Right to information gained power when Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 providing everyone the right to seek, receive, information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Also The International Covenant on Civil and Political rights 1966 says that “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression, the freedom to seek and impart information and ideas of all kind, regardless of frontiers.By 2010, more than 85 countries have national-level RTI laws or regulations in force including the major developing countries like China and India.
![Rti Act 2005 Rti Act 2005](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125633069/547919442.jpg)
Of all these, Mexico has taken the lead with one of the best examples of a well-functioning FOIA in the world. The law passed in 2002 represents a vital element of Mexico’s democratic transition, and became a model worldwide. Handling over 200,000 requests in its first five Years, have resulted in Mexico setting a new international standard for transparency legislation.RIGHT TO INFORMATION IN INDIA:Right to Information is an integral part of the freedom of speech and expression enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the constitution, which is regarded as the first condition of liberty.
![Rti Act 2005 Rti Act 2005](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125633069/797883807.png)
It occupies preferred position in the hierarchy of liberties giving succour and protection to other liberties. The expression “freedom of speech and expression” in Article 19(1)(a) has been held to include the right to acquire information and disseminate the same. It includes the right to communicate it through any available media whether print or electronic or audio-visual, such as, advertisement, movie, article or speech, etc.The Right of information is an inalienable component of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by Article 19(1) (a) of Indian constitution. Beside Article 19(1) (a), the other articles which give right to information under Indian constitution are Articles 311(2) and 22(1).
Article 311(2) provides for a govt. Servant to know why he is being dismissed or removed or being demoted and representation can be made against the order. By way of Article 22(1) a person can know the grounds for his detention.
According to Justice B N Srikrishna – “ Right to information emerges from right to personal liberty guaranteed by article 21 of constitution.”In order to promote, transparency and accountability in administration, Parliament passed “Right to Information Bill, 2004 on 15th June, 2005, “The Right to Information Act” was notified in the Gazette of India on 21st June, 2005, after repealing the Freedom of Information Act, 2002. The “Right to Information Act” has become fully operational from 12th October, 2005 so as to enable a citizen of India to secure access to information under the control of Public Authorities. The RTI Act mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information. It applies to all States and Union Territories of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir, which is covered under a State-level law. Prior to the Act being passed by the Parliament, the RTI Laws were first successfully enacted by the state governments of Tamil Nadu (1997), Goa (1997), Rajasthan (2000), Karnataka (2000), Delhi (2001), Maharashtra (2002), Madhya Pradesh (2003), Assam (2002) and Jammu and Kashmir (2004). Some of these State level enactments have been widely used.
What makes Right To Information Act 2005 special is its power and practicality to seek and get information from government authorities. The law also promoted transparency and accountability in public authorities.