The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Judge for movement to popularise Right To Information Act

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 26, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Judge for movement to popularise Right To Information Act

Staff Reporter

‘It could become an effective tool to combat corruption’

– Photo: K. Gopinathan

On the sidelines: (From left) T.N. Manjula Devi, advocate; V. Vijaykumar, Registrar, National Law School of India University; D.V. Shylendra Kumar and K.L. Manjunath, judges of the High Court of Karnataka; at a workshop on ‘The Right to Information Act’ in Bangalore on Saturday.

BANGALORE: The Chairman of the High Court Legal Services Committee and senior High Court Judge, K.L. Manjunath, on Saturday said that the Right to Information (RTI) Act could become an effective tool to combat corruption.

He was speaking after inaugurating a workshop on the “Right to Information Act” for principals and lecturers of law colleges on the High Court premises here. The workshop was organised by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority and the High Court Legal Services Committee.

He said funds allocated to various departments were not being fully utilised and welfare schemes were not reaching the common man because of corruption.

Mr. Manjunath said the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), which was participating in the workshop, should train students in the RTI Act in a phased manner.

He traced the genesis of the RTI Act to the 1980s when a group of people from a remote village in Rajasthan launched a movement for bringing in the Act.

While Rajasthan was one of the first States to enact the RTI Act, in Karnataka it was formulated in 2005.

He said mere enactment would not help and called for a movement to educate the people on the provisions of the Act. D.V. Shylendra Kumar, Judge of the High Court, who presided over the function, said even after 60 years of Independence, the country was yet to provide basic needs such as food and shelter to its citizens.

He said inefficiency and corruption had seeped into the system and hoped that the RTI Act would help in tackling them.

He believed that no file should be confidential or secret. Any file or matter relating to public administration should be made accessible to the people, he added.

He pointed out that wherever there was secrecy there was corruption.

Therefore, there was no need to restrict the flow of information.

He agreed with Mr. Manjunath that the RTI Act had created an impact.

Registrar of NLSIU Vijaykumar said the RTI Act existed in one form or the other in more than 60 countries. In Bulgaria, even the Army had adopted the RTI Act.

He said that the NLSIU had suggested to the State Government to legislate the Public Offices Act.

This Act applied only to Union territories. If legislated, this act would ensure more accountability, he added.

Senior counsel T.N. Manjula Devi spoke.

High Court judges N.K. Patil and K. Bhaktavatsala were present.

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