Karnataka - Mysore   

Changes to RTI rules: activists to approach Central information panel

MYSORE: Activists are planning to take up the national level the issue of amendments to the Karnataka Right to Information (RTI) Rules 2005.

The amendments made on March 17, during the President’s Rule in the State, has raised several questions. According to RTI activists, any policy or legislative changes has to be brought when a democratically elected government is in place.

“It is not only the fact that amendments have been made, but the kind of changes that have been made have left many activists disturbed,” they said.

The Government has made the following amendments to the rules: request for information should relate to one subject and the question should not exceed 150 words; information on more than one subject entails a separate application and the information officer concerned is expected to respond to the request relating to the first subject only and seek separate applications for the remaining queries.

“The voice of the common man will be stifled because of these changes. It is difficult to imagine phrasing questions in less than 150 words and limiting the application to just one question. People, especially those in rural areas, will now be discouraged submit applications as each issue will need at least six to 10 questions to elicit proper and relevant response from information officers,” said R. Balasubramaniam, who has launched an RTI movement in villages of H.D. Kote taluk to encourage people to fight corruption and get redressal to their grievances.

The changes would make the application process more expensive and cumbersome, he said.

Activists said that the RTI Act was the first step towards bringing in effective social audit mechanism in development schemes of the government. It also helped communities to participate in and drive the development process, they said added, “Now all that may change”.

Mr. Balasubramaniam, who heads the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, said that no other State had made such changes to the Act.

“Karnataka, considered a progressive State, has taken a retrospective and anti-people step by bringing in these changes to a very forward looking Act,” he said.

Any change to the Act had to be done after a consultative process. “No such convention was followed and the Karnataka Information Commission asked for the amendments in December last,” he said.

The RTI activists have decided to approach the National Coalition for Right to Information to decide their next course of action. Mr. Balasubramaniam said he was planning to discuss the matter with activists such as Nikhil Dey and Aruna Roy.

“We are also approaching the Central Information Commission on the issue. If need arises, we shall also fight the matter legally,” he added.

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