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    Evolution of RTI in India

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    Rahul Chawla
    The evolution of the Right to Information Act in India involved a long process with many important events and challenges over several decades. Key developments included a 1977 committee to examine amending secrecy laws, a 1986 Supreme Court ruling recognizing access to information as a constitutional right, and early efforts by politicians like V.P. Singh in the late 1980s and early 1990s to pass RTI laws. Grassroots movements in the 1990s further advanced the cause, and some states began passing their own RTI laws, with Tamil Nadu being the first in 1997. After more efforts in the 2000s, the national Right to Information Act was finally passed in 2005.

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    Evolution of RTI in India

    Uploaded by

    Rahul Chawla
    571 views3 pages
    The evolution of the Right to Information Act in India involved a long process with many important events and challenges over several decades. Key developments included a 1977 committee to examine amending secrecy laws, a 1986 Supreme Court ruling recognizing access to information as a constitutional right, and early efforts by politicians like V.P. Singh in the late 1980s and early 1990s to pass RTI laws. Grassroots movements in the 1990s further advanced the cause, and some states began passing their own RTI laws, with Tamil Nadu being the first in 1997. After more efforts in the 2000s, the national Right to Information Act was finally passed in 2005.

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    The evolution of the Right to Information Act in India involved a long process with many important events and challenges over several decades. Key developments included a 1977 committee to examine amending secrecy laws, a 1986 Supreme Court ruling recognizing access to information as a constitutional right, and early efforts by politicians like V.P. Singh in the late 1980s and early 1990s to pass RTI laws. Grassroots movements in the 1990s further advanced the cause, and some states began passing their own RTI laws, with Tamil Nadu being the first in 1997. After more efforts in the 2000s, the national Right to Information Act was finally passed in 2005.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    571 views3 pages

    Evolution of RTI in India

    Uploaded by

    Rahul Chawla
    The evolution of the Right to Information Act in India involved a long process with many important events and challenges over several decades. Key developments included a 1977 committee to examine amending secrecy laws, a 1986 Supreme Court ruling recognizing access to information as a constitutional right, and early efforts by politicians like V.P. Singh in the late 1980s and early 1990s to pass RTI laws. Grassroots movements in the 1990s further advanced the cause, and some states began passing their own RTI laws, with Tamil Nadu being the first in 1997. After more efforts in the 2000s, the national Right to Information Act was finally passed in 2005.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    Evolution of RTI in India

    There is long history of RTI Act 2005 in India. It took a lot of effort and time to make RTI
    (Right to Information) a reality for citizen. There were many existing rules contrary to the right
    to information. Let me provide you various challenges and events in the evolution of Right to
    Information. There have been many moves by government as well as private institutions to bring
    right to information to the citizen.

    There are listed below various important events that made history of RTI Act 2005 in India. The
    above mentioned prevalent laws are considered main hurdles to right to know in the history of
    Right to Information Act 2005. RTI Bill was passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on 11th May
    2005, and received assent of President of India on 15th June 2005. RTI Act, 2005 came into
    force with effect from 12th October 2005. The above mentioned list of events does not contain
    all important events in the history of Right to Information Act 2005 in India, rather contains only
    those events that had been influential in the evolution of RTI act.

    In 1977, the Janata government led by Morarji Desai set up a working committee to see if the
    Official Secrets Act, 1923 might be amended to provide wider access to information by the
    public. They suggested that the 1923 law be preserved as is.

    1986 Mr. Kulwal v/s Jaipur Municipal Corporation was a landmark case in which the Supreme
    Court declared that Article 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and
    expression, includes a right to information, as without information the right to freedom of speech
    and expression cannot be fully exercised.

    Premier V.P. Singh of the National Front, the first leader to emphasise RTI,they emphasised the
    necessity of RTI as a statutory right. In 1989-90, he attempted to pass legislation. V P Singh was
    dismissed from office in 1990 after his administration failed a vote of confidence in the Lok
    Sabha.

    As early as 1994, MKSS began a grassroots movement for the Right to Information, seeking
    information on rural development projects. In 2000, the government of Rajasthan enacted a
    legislation on Right to Information.

    An Act was drafted in Mussoorie during a conference of social activists in 1995.

    It was formed in 1996 by a coalition of civil society organisations with the goal to enact laws on
    RTI. It was prepared by Press Council of India under supervision of its Chairman Justice P B
    Sawant and dubbed "The Press Council–NIRD Freedom of Information Act, 1997" (The Press
    Council–NIRD Freedom of Information Act, 1997).

    Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to enact a Right to Information Act in 1997.
    In 1997, the Madhya Pradesh government issued executive orders to 36 agencies to execute the
    Right to Information Act, which was eventually expanded to include more than 50 departments.

    1997: The United Front government appointed a Working Group, chaired by H D Shourie, to
    draught the Freedom of Information Bill.

    The Goa legislature passed a Right to Information Act in 1997.

    Madhya Pradesh's government introduced and the legislature enacted a bill on the right to
    information in 1998. Because the Governor refused to provide assent, the Bill did not become
    law.

    When the NDA came to office in 1998, Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee promised the country that
    a Right to Information Law would be implemented shortly.

    Ministers were constrained by the government in 1999.

    1999: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was brought before the Supreme Court to: lift ministerial
    restraints; declare Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act of 1923 illegal; Request that the
    Government of India give appropriate directions for RTI, awaiting legislation.

    The Freedom of Information Bill was presented in Parliament in 2000 and submitted to a Select
    Committee of Parliament.

    The legislature of the National Capital Territory of Delhi approved a statute on the Right to
    Information in 2001.

    Early in 2002, the Select Committee issued its report.

    In December 2002, both chambers of Parliament enacted the Freedom of Information Act, 2000.
    This was a watered-down version of the measure presented by NCPRI and others.

    In September 2002, the Maharashtra government approved the RTI Ordinance, which repealed
    the Maharashtra RTI Act of 2000.

    In its order of May 2, 2002, the Supreme Court of India directed the Election Commission to call
    for information on affidavit from each candidate seeking election to Parliament or a state
    legislature.

    In 2003, the Freedom of Information Bill was signed into law by the President of India and
    became known as the Freedom of Information Act, 2002 Act No. 5 of 2003 (FoI Act 2002).

    A new RTI Act was promulgated by the Maharashtra government in August. 2004In 2004, the
    UPA government came to power in the United Kingdom. Under Sonia Gandhi, the National
    Advisory Council (NAC), popularly known as the shadow government, was created. Main
    purpose of the Council was to oversee the execution of government initiatives and advise the
    government on policy and law issues

    National Archives and Records Commission (NAC) received NCPRI's proposed changes to
    Freedom of Information Act, 2002. With minor adjustments, NAC supported and recommended
    to the Government (Prime Minister). Political and bureaucratic resistance to the revisions was
    evident.

    1999: The Union Minister of Urban Affairs issued an administrative directive on transparency in
    the Urban Affairs Ministry. An attempt was made to re-notify the previous Freedom of
    Information Act; this action was met with significant opposition from people and civic society.

    2004: Finally, on December 23, 2004, the UPA Government introduced the RTI Bill 2004, which
    applies solely to the Union Government. This did not sit well with the civic community. The
    majority of the information requested by the average citizen came from state governments. The
    bill did not suit the ordinary man's needs. Some NAC members were also dissatisfied with this.
    The Right to Information Act of 2005 was enacted with 150 changes after extensive campaigning
    by NCPRI and other groups. The bill is now applicable to states as well.

    The RTI Act, 2005, also known as the Right to Information Act, went into effect on October 12,
    2005. The Lok Sabha passed the RTI Bill on May 11, 2005; the Rajya Sabha passed it on May
    12 and the President of India's assent was granted on June 15. The first RTI report was published
    in the Gazette of India on June 21, 2005 a year after the bill came into effect.

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