‘Free information among the citizens’ is the base on
which the democracy stands. Complying with this thought a weapon was provided
to society in the form of RTI. It was enshrined in this act that the free
information is the right of every living element of the society. But the price
which it has to pay for that was not clearly stated!
In the recent past we have witnessed many cases
where the RTI activists were attacked by the people who had objection to the
disclosure of some respective information in the public periphery. Anoop of
Gautam Buddh Nagar (U.P.), an RTI activist was assaulted mercilessly by the
goons with hot rods. He is known to be the whistleblower in his town and was in
the conflict since few months with a contractor whose dishonest work in the
Sikka town was under the investigation after he filed an RTI in that context.
This was the price he paid for living with his right. He is not alone the example
as we have seen many more in the past. In 2010 there was a case in which an RTI
activist Satish Shetty was murdered. He too paid the price for acting as a
whistle-blower. It is an astonishing fact that during last 6 years around 150
RTI activists had become victims of those who were endangered from the
disclosed information which they initiated. In these 6 years around 24 RTI
activists were killed, 52 got assaulted and 74 were harassed. And when we talk
about the administration we actually mean a poor system which is entangled
around the powerful. This system is not capable of providing security to the
whistle-blowers who are an eminent part of the society and are vulnerable. This
can be viewed with another eye which shows us that many a times it is the
attempt of the administration itself to curb the RTI activists so that their
corrupted intentions are not realized in public. This is how the law protector
and law makers play with the law itself in order to disguise the common man.
In context with the security of RTI activists, a
division bench of Calcutta High court had recently ruled that an RTI
application could be filed just by stating the post box number and there is no
need to disclose the name and address of a person. This order in itself is a step
towards providing security to RTI activists though it would be followed only in
West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Island. In 2010, Bombay High court in the
very same context ruled that any RTI activist could seek the police protection
if he feels himself threatened after filing of an RTI application. These
efforts which were the result of judicial activism are actually in vain unless
the administration is strict and honest about its duties.
RTI activists are the
valuable resources for Indian society. We need the gap between government and
the people to be filled in which they play a major role by keeping a watch on
the administrative activities through the tool of RTI. Security of these
activists is very necessary in order to build and sustain a public confidence
over ‘democracy and free information’. We don’t want a society where people in
fear of life stop asking the question from the authority. Security of these
activists is must and should be the priority of the government only then we
could experience a real democracy and a true free world where information is
not hindered by those who have power and force.
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