Activist Lokesh Batra requests Sushma Swaraj to oppose RTI Act amendment

RTI activist Commodore (Retd.) Lokesh K. Batra has written a letter to Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, in which he has said that amendment to RTI Act, 2005 will be contempt of assurance given in the Parliament.

"On 05 July 2009, the then Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions had assured the Parliament in a written response to a question that the 'Non-Governmental Organisations and Social activists' will be consulted before any amendment to the RTI Act, 2005. The Hon'ble Minister reiterated his stand in Rajya Sabha on 25 August 2010," he said in his letter to Swaraj.

Commodore (Retd.) Batra told Swaraj there are media reports that the Government is contemplating to counter the decision of the CIC declaring six political parties as Public authorities which are subject to the Right to Information Act by amending the RTI Act, 2005.

"The representatives of all political parties have stated that they believe the CIC decision is unsound legally and hence they are opposing it. We recognise if they are being truthful, they can certainly go in a writ to the Courts. In the past CIC decisions have been quashed by the Courts," Commodore (Retd.) Batra said.

"In the instant case we cannot see any reason which justifies any amendment to the RTI Act, 2005 by the Government and that too without consulting all the stakeholders/ Citizenry at large that include 'Non-Governmental Organisations and Social activists'," he added.

Commodore (Retd.) Batra requested the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha to oppose any amendment to the RTI Act, if proposed by the government, without consulting all the stakeholders i.e. Citizenry at large that include 'Non-Governmental Organisations and Social activists', as assured in the Parliament lest it becomes contempt of assurance given in the Parliament.

The RTI activist had last month written a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee in this regard.