About RTI Act, 2005

• Under the Right to Information Act, 2005, Public Authorities are required to make disclosures on various aspects of their structure and functioning.
• This includes: (i) disclosure on their organisation, functions, and structure, (ii) powers and duties of its officers and employees, and (iii) financial information.
• The intent of such suo moto disclosures is that the public should need minimum recourse through the Act to obtain such information. If such information is not made available, citizens have the right to request for it from the Authorities.
• This may include information in the form of documents, files, or electronic records under the control of the Public Authority. The intent behind the enactment of the Act is to promote transparency and accountability in the working of Public Authorities.

Who is included in the ambit of ‘Public Authorities’?

• The RTI Act defines “public authorities” in Section 2(h).
• A “public authority” means any authority or body or institution of self- government established or constituted
  • by or under the Constitution;
  • by any other law made by Parliament;
  • by any other law made by State Legislature;
  • by notification issued or order made by the appropriate Government, and includes any –
  • body owned, controlled or substantially financed;
  • Non-Government organization substantially financed, directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate Government.

Section 8 of the RTI 

• This provides for exemption from disclosure of information that are more valid in reasons
  • Which would affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State;
  • Which has been expressly forbidden to be published by any court of law or tribunal;
  • Which would cause a breach of privilege of Parliament or the State Legislature;
  • Information including commercial confidence, trade secrets or intellectual property;
  • Information received in confidence from foreign government;
  • Information which would endanger the life or physical safety of any person; etc.

How is the right to information enforced under the Act?

• The Act has established a three tier structure for enforcing the right to information guaranteed under the Act.
• The first request for information goes to the Central/State Assistant Public Information Officer and Central/State Public Information Officer, designated by the Public Authorities. These Officers are required to provide information to an RTI applicant within 30 days of the request. If information sought concerns the life or liberty of a person, it shall be supplied within 48 hours.
• Appeals from their decisions go to an Appellate Authority.
• Appeals against the order of the Appellate Authority go to the State Information Commission or the Central Information Commission.  These Information Commissions consist of a Chief Information Commissioner, and up to 10 Information Commissioners.  

Section 4(2) of the RTI

• It mandates that different authorities and government departments should voluntarily disclose (suo motu) much information to the public at regular intervals through various means, including the internet, so that the public have minimum resort to the use of this Act to obtain information.

Why in News?

• A good 17 years after India got the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the transparency regime in the country remains a mirage with nearly 3.15 lakh complaints or appeals pending with 26 information commissions across India.
• The backlog of appeals or complaints is steadily increasing in commissions every year. The number of appeals and complaints pending in 2019, from data obtained from 26 information commissions was 2,18,347. In 2020, the number climbed up to 2,33,384 with data obtained from 23 information commissions, in 2021 the number was 2,86,325 with data from 26 commissions and in 2022, it was 3,14,323.
• Under the RTI law, information commissions are the final appellate authority and are mandated to safeguard and facilitate people’s fundamental right to information.
• An analysis of penalties imposed shows that the commissions did not impose penalties in 95% of the cases where penalties were potentially imposable.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/over-3-lakh-rti-appeals-pending-with-information-commissions/article65997518.ece