The Union Government Weakens The RTI Act!

The amendment to the Right to Information Act, 2005, violates the Constitution and usurps the executive and financial powers of state legislatures

- M Sridhar Acharyulu

Rajasthan is the state where the idea of the right to information evolved and revolutionized India’s governance in the form of Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. Now, after the passage of the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Rajasthan is also the state that has to withhold selection of its state information commissioners, even after having issued the notification, because the Centre is yet to prescribe their status, salary, and term. The status of information commissioners under the RTI Act, 2005, and according to the Constitution of India, will be totally denied with this amendment, which is designed to encroach upon the states’ power to implement this right within their territory.