Democracy And Peoples Right To Information
1. INTRODUCTION
In a democratic framework, access to information plays an important role in making government accountable and provides transparency to the internal workings of the government which common people are away from. India, the largest democracy in the world, with the Right To Information(RTI) Act 2005 has provided citizens with a powerful tool to get information crucial for public interest. This allows people to make informed decisions and make the government responsible when required. This right is gradually paving the way for a more responsive and transparent government in India.
2. THE ESSENCE OF DEMOCRACY AND RIGHT TO INFORMATION.
Democracy is not just casting votes and making governments but citizens also have the right to participate in decision-making and hold them accountable in future. This is only possible with information in the hands of citizens. The RTI Act here comes into play and gives all required information to concerned citizens. This allows people to directly participate in decision-making. It makes the person in authority respect the rights of the citizen and this also acts as a sanction against arbitrary action by lawmakers. Thus thriving a democratic and responsible government.
3. EVOLUTION AND IMPACT OF THE RTI ACT.
The Supreme Court decided in the 1976 case of Raj Narain v. State of Uttar Pradesh that the right to information will be regarded as a fundamental right under Article 19. The Indian people are the masters of their democracy, according to the Supreme Court, and they have a right to know how their government operates.[1]
In furtherance of the judgement, the Right to Information Act was passed in the year 2005. This was a significant moment in Indian history as it marked the shift from the colonial secrecy of government information to that of open and transparent governance. This law empowered the citizens to seek required information from public authorities.
The act led to the empowerment of grassroots-level citizens. It enabled citizens of all socio-economic strata to seek information which was earlier accessible to only a few privileged people. This has narrowed the social and economic divide bringing information to all. With no doubt, the RTI Act is the most widely utilized sunshine law in the world, with approximately six million applications filed under it annually.[2]
4. IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION IN DEMOCRACY
Thomas Jefferson famously said, "Information is the currency of democracy." Information is indeed the lifeblood of democracy. Under the cloak of secrecy, there is a very high probability that the government will take arbitrary and irresponsible decisions. Key information in the hands of the people restricts these actions and ensures equality and justice for all. There are many important contributions of information in a democracy. Some of them are:
A. Empowering citizens and promoting transparency.
Correct information in the hands of the people allows them to participate in priority settings and decision-making processes. They are better equipped to access the workings of the government. For example, if the exact budget of a project is known, then people can predict whether all funds have been utilized properly or whether there has been corruption involving the project. This also builds trust between citizens and the government[3]making people satisfied with the workings and fostering a sense of participation in public life.
B. Fighting corruption and ensuring accountability.
Fighting corruption has been the most significant contribution of information when reached in hands of the common man. Citizens can find wrongdoings, expose corruption, and hold corrupt people accountable when they have access to exact facts and figures. This makes the government and the officials more difficult to rebut corruption charges, leading to their faster conviction for corruption charges.
C. Good Governance
A government that respects the rights of citizens and allows the collection of data also needs to collect accurate data for each project. Inadvertently, this encourages the government to perform better so that statistics show improvement making them look better to common citizen. They make rational decisions and try to complete work on time to avoid bad statistics. Information also helps the government by identifying the gaps and inefficiencies in the policies and making required adjustments which makes governance better in the long run.
5. CRITICISM
Recently, the RTI Act has come under criticism for being misused to harass government officials with the information sought. Delhi HC has also taken this issue and held that misuse of the RTI Act has to be appropriately dealt with; otherwise, the public would lose faith and confidence in this sunshine Act[4]. Also, the lack of awareness about the RTI Act to the common man and clarity in provisions is a genuine concern which needs to be addressed.[5]
6. FUTURE OUTLOOK AND RECOMMENDATION
Right to Information, a sunshine legislation, is a necessary tool to continue the environment of responsible and accountable government in India. The Personal Data Protection Bill that was passed by the parliament is in danger of reducing the powers of the RTI Act.[6] Any act or law that dilutes the provisions of the RTI Act should be avoided. The current RTI Act can also be amended to simplify the process of RTI requests and ensure a swift response to avoid unnecessary hustle currently done by concerned persons. Additionally, common people should be made aware of their right to information so that they can use it when necessary.
7. CONCLUSION
Mahatma Gandhi had a dream that the person at the bottom of the line should receive justice and for that cause, RTI Act is coming out to be a powerful tool. It has allowed the common man to seek relevant public information and hold the government responsible for its acts. Information is a powerful instrument to fulfil genuine democratic principles in any country. It made governance open and responsible. However, a law like the RTI Act alone cannot hold the government accountable. In addition, media outlets and civil society organizations should play a critical role in advocating for the right to information, monitoring its implementation, and increasing public awareness of it. While some valid criticisms should be addressed, in general, democracy benefits from the general public having access to information.
8. CITATIONS
[1]BYJUS,https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/right-to-information-rti/#:~:text=In%201976%2C%20in%20the%20Raj,the%20working%20of%20the%20government( Last visited Dec 5, 2023).
[2]BYJUS,https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/right-to-information-rti/#:~:text=In%201976%2C%20in%20the%20Raj,the%20working%20of%20the%20government( Last visited Dec 5, 2023).
[3]THE CARTER CENTER,https://www.cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc1860.html( Last visited Dec 5, 2023).
[4]BYJUS, tps://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/right-to-information-rti/#:~:text=In%201976%2C%20in%20the%20Raj,the%20working%20of%20the%20government ( Last visited Dec 5, 2023).
[5]LEAGL UPANISHAD, ttps://legalupanishad.com/right-to-information-rti-act/ ( Last visited Dec 5, 2023).
[6]BBC, tps://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66458480 ( Last visited Dec 5, 2023).
