Acharyulu seeks withdrawal of proposed bill to amend RTI Act

The proposed amendment to the RTI Act would "destroy and smash" the independence of the Central Information Commission and weaken the power of people to seek information under it, Central Information Commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu said today.

He sought total withdrawal of the proposed bill to amend the Right to Information Act, saying there was no need for any change in any format.

The government had said it was considering a proposal to amend the 2005 Act to frame rules on salaries and services of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (ICs).

A notice of intention was given for introducing 'The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2018' in the Rajya Sabha on July 18 this year but it did not happen.

"I am not sure whether they have totally withdrawn...they did not introduce (the Bill) in recent session of the Parliament and I am happy (for that).I will be further happy if they don't introduce it anymore," Acharyulu said.

"It (proposed amendment Bill) should be totally withdrawn and it should not be introduced...it will destroy and smash the independence of the CIC and and it will definitely weaken the commission and also weaken the power of the citizens to seek information," the information commissioner told PTI.

Acharyulu, who has already flagged his concerns in a letter last month to his colleagues in the commission, said he wants the government to "understand" and not to make any amendment in any format.

There was no need for any sort of amendment, he said adding, the institution and the act should be protected.

He said opposition parties should also give a commitment that they would not dilute the RTI Act if they come to power.

In his letter, he had said the proposed amendment bill attempts to dilute the independence of Central and State Information Commissioners, and stressed the need for its withdrawal.

He had stated that the proposed bill intends to defeat the very purpose of the RTI Act, besides being an affront to federalism enshrined as basic feature of Indian Constitution.

Acharyulu had requested the Chief Information Commissioner to send an official communication to the government asking for withdrawal of the proposed bill.

Earlier today, he launched 'YouRTI.in' website of city-based NGO, Yugantar, which offers RTI services for the benefit of the general public.