Need discussion on proposed changes in RTI Act: NGO to Meira

Any "hasty" move by government to amend the RTI Act to give immunity to political parties from providing information should be prevented and the matter should be referred to a select committee of the House for widespread consultation, an NGO has requested Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
A Bill seeking to amend the transparency law to shield political parties is slated to be introduced in Lok Sabha tomorrow.
In a letter, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative said the RTI Act is a crystallisation of the collective aspirations of the people of India to open up closed governance structures and bring in transparency in the working of all bodies involved in public affairs.

"This law gives effect to the people's fundamental right to know, embedded in the right to freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
"The Government is seeking to curtail the very scope of this fundamental right through its amendment proposal," it said.
Merely a debate on the amendment proposal in a plenary session, before the House votes, is not sufficient to inform the House of the diversity of views and opinions amongst the citizenry about the desirability of excluding political parties from the ambit of the RTI Act, the letter said.

"I urge you to refer such an amendment Bill to a Standing Committee or a Select Committee of the House to facilitate widespread public consultation on the subject," the NGO said.

This will be in keeping with the central government's assurance given to Parliament in 2009 that the RTI Act will not be amended without public consultation, it said.
"It is an irony that despite being under the regime of transparency that the RTI Act intends to establish, the government has neither publicised the text of the amendment proposal nor has it held any public consultation on the desirability of such an amendment," the letter said.
The Union Cabinet had on August 1 cleared a proposal to amend the RTI Act to give immunity to political parties.
The Cabinet's decision had come nearly two months after the CIC order of bringing six national political parties -- Congress, BJP, NCP, CPI-M, CPI and BSP -- under the RTI Act.