LawTeacher

CYBER MONDAY
View deals now

> Free Law Essays > Constitutional Law

PRINT REFERENCE THIS

This essay has been submitted by a law student. This is not an example of the work written by
our professional essay writers.

Indian Right To Information Act

The Right to Information Act, 2005 provides a mechanism to the ordinary Indian citizen to access
information relating to public authorities. The Act creates an obligation on part of the Government to
provide information to the citizens of India. It sets out a system, including Public Information
Officers (PIOs) and Central and State Information Commissions who must regulate this flow of
information. The Commissions under s.18, also have the power to hear grievances of the people
with respect to the procurement of information. It also sets a time-limit within which such
applications must be answered. Further, it provides certain exemptions to the citizen’s right to
information.

The Act defines ‘information’ as any material in any form, including records, documents, memos,
emails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers,
samples, models, data materials held in any electronic form and information relating to any private
body which can be accessed by a public authority under any law for the time being in force. [2] Thus
the definition of information is wide, and pertains to information with public authority, about the
State and its functionaries or about any private authority that the public authority is authorized to
access. Clearly, with such knowledge, great power is placed in the citizens’ hands and it becomes
difficult for the Government to take excesses. However, with great power comes great responsibility
and citizens must use this legislation with caution so as not to misuse its beneficial provisions.
This paper seeks to look at the pros and cons of access to information, with emphasis on the Right
to Information Act, 2005. In furtherance of this objective, the paper has been divided into two parts:
the first deals with the pros and cons of a system that provides access to information. It also looks
at the barriers that exist to the free flow of information in India. The second part studies the Act
itself, with emphasis on how the Act deals with the cons of proving information. In order to
understand the effectiveness of the RTI, the paper looks at the exceptions provided in the act and at
the way it has been administered.

Access to Information—Issues

Pros of a system of governance that provides access to information

There are a number of reasons for a legal system that provides for access to information. First and
foremost, access to information is central to the idea of a democratic society. Governments have a
vast amount of power, and power tends to corrupt. In a democratic society, the government should
be accountable to the citizens and this is not possible if the citizens do not have information about
the functioning of the government. The actions and policies of a government affect the economic
interests and personal liberty of individuals that make up a nation. The government thus, should use
this vast power to act for the public good and not for the private gain of the few individuals who hold
such power. Therefore an open government allows the people keep a check on the abuse and
misuse of power by the Government. [3] 

Other than working towards governmental accountability, public disclosure of information furthers
democracy by facilitating people’s participation. It enables interested citizens to contribute more
effectively to the debate on important questions of government policy. [4] Moreover, if the people
are to choose their government every five years, they must have information about the performance
of the government. Giving the individual access to government information ensures that people will
make an informed choice when they select those individuals who will make policy decisions about
their lives. [5] 

If the government can be held accountable by the citizens, or if people can participate effectively, it
leads to fairness in the administrative decision-making process. [6] 

Before the RTI was passed, the Supreme Court held, in a wide variety of cases that the right to
information is a fundamental right. A study of these cases exemplifies the benefits of a system
which provides access to information. In Indian Express Newspaper (Bom) Pvt. Ltd. v. Union of
India [7] , the Supreme Court discussed the importance of freedom of press (which is integral to
freedom of speech and expression) and stated that it included the freedom of information of
citizens. The Court opined that the constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and press are
not for the benefit of the press so much as for the benefit of the people. The purpose of the press is
to advance the public interest by publishing facts and opinions without which a democratic
electorate cannot make responsible judgments. The author submits that without freedom of
information, the press will not be able to perform its duty of acquiring and disseminating correct and
logically true facts to the common man. Indeed, in order to form opinions that a citizen can express,
it becomes vital that he have information on that subject.

In Union of India v. Association of Democratic Reforms [8] , the Supreme Court upheld the voter’s
right to know about the candidates contesting elections, since it believed that adult franchise and
general elections are the minimum requirement of the Indian participative democracy. The Court
stated that, “…the little man of this country would have basic elementary right to know full
particulars of a candidate who is to represent him in Parliament where laws to bind his liberty and
property may be enacted."

Similarly, the right to information is implicit in Article 21 of the Constitution. In D.K. Basu v. State of
West Bengal [9] , the Court laid down guidelines to protect the fundamental rights of arrested
persons. Among other things this included his right to be informed of who is arresting and
interrogating him and why and also his right to have a friend or relative informed of the arrest, as
soon as is practicable.

These cases illustrate how access to information in a society results in a healthier democracy and
improved participation. The author submits that this leads to improved decision making and in
effect, better allocation of the society’s resources which results in greater economic and social well-
being of the people.

Barriers to Information

In order to understand the need for (and also the faults of) providing access to information, one
must first study the barriers that exist to the free flow of information in India.

The Official Secrets Act, 1923, originally enacted during the time of the British to protect against
spying, now stands as a barrier to the flow of information from the Government to the citizens.
Section 5 of this Act has a wide ambit. It virtually prohibits the disclosure of any information which
the government considers to be confidential and makes it a punishable offence to violate these
rules.

The All India Services (Conduct Rules), 1968, through s.9, which provides that civil servants shall not
divulge official information, restrict the disclosure of official information.

S.123 and s.124 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 have placed restrictions on using official
information as evidence. S.123 prohibits the use of unpublished official records without appropriate
permission while s.124 disallows the compelling of an officer to disclose communications made to
him in official confidence. In an effort to circumvent this privilege, courts adopted the practice of
inspecting the documents in-camera and if it was found that their disclosure might adversely affect
public interest, the claim for non-disclosure was upheld. [10] 
Lastly, certain acts contain provisions against the disclosure of information. For example, the
Atomic Energy Act, 1962 places severe restrictions on the releasing of information about atomic
plants. Sathe contends that these restrictions are so wide that the population surrounding a reactor
cannot ask for what hazards it must take precautions against. [11] 

These provisions prevent the common man from accessing information about the Government.
Designed to enable the state to protect its secrets, they can be used to hide inefficiencies and errors
on part of the state from public scrutiny and accountability. In such a scenario, a vast amount of
information may be shielded from the public.

Cons of Providing Information

However, one must remember that these barriers exist for a reason. In actual practice, the
unrestrained revelation of information can conflict with other public interests such as efficient
operations of the Government, optimum use of limited fiscal resources and the preservation of
confidentiality of sensitive information. [12] The costs of compiling and providing information are
huge. Moreover, certain operations of the Government, such as defense, cannot always be open to
public scrutiny.

Does the citizen’s right to information include the disclosure of confidential government documents.
For example, should a sensitive document containing details about India’s nuclear projects be made
available to the public. Obviously there is public interest in its disclosure since the taxpayer’s money
is being utilized for it and the people have a right to know how it is being done. However, in the
interest of the nation’s security, would it not be safer to keep such details confidential? Bhagwati J.
very aptly termed this question as a conflict between public interest in the fair administration of
justice and public interest in the non-disclosure of documents. [13] 

The Right to Information can collide with the Right to Privacy. The protection of privacy principle
holds that that individuals should, generally speaking, have some control over the use made by
others, especially government agencies, of information concerning themselves. Thus, when an
applicant seeks access to government records that contain personal information about certain
identifiable individuals, these individual’s right to privacy conflicts with the applicant’s right to
information. [14] 

A question that arises is whether access to information can be extended to accessing information
from private organizations. If yes, then where does one draw the line between invasion of privacy
and the right to information. With the passing of the RTI, in India private organizations too can be
scrutinized via s.2(f) which defines information as including information relating to any private body
which is accessible by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force. Further,
information can also be sought from a non-Governmental body if it is financed substantially by the
Government. [15] However, in order to protect the privacy of such bodies, the Act treats them like
any other third party and object to the supply of information. [16] 
Thus, one may conclude that unlimited access to information cannot be provided. It should be
limited, at least, for the following reasons:

the protection of the public interest (public security, international relations, monetary stability, court
proceedings, inspections and investigations),

the protection of the individual and of privacy, and

the protection of commercial and industrial secrecy.

In such cases, disclosure of information harms and does not further public interest.

Right to Information Act

The obvious advantage of the legislation is that it provides a system through which people can
obtain information. It is necessary to cast a specific duty on public bodies to provide information,
and this can only be done through a legislation that lays down these duties and recognizes the right
of the citizen. [17] However, the manner in which the Act deals with the disadvantages of providing
information shows whether the Act truly furthers public interest or not.

Dealing with the Cons

The Act, through s.8, attempts to deal with some of the problems that arise out of providing
information. A perusal of the section shows that access to information may be denied if the
disclosure of the information sought for affects the sovereignty and integrity of the nation, or affects
foreign relations with another country, or has been expressly forbidden by a court or Tribunal, or
causes breach or privilege of State Legislatures or the Parliament or which harms the competitive
position of a third party, or impedes the process of an investigation or invades the privacy of an
individual or has been obtained in a fiduciary capacity.

Thus, the Act provides a large range of exemptions. These exemptions can be used to restrict the
flow of sensitive information, but can also be misused to restrict the flow of information if it serves
the interest of the public authority. As a result, in order to understand whether the exemptions work
for the benefit of or to the detriment of the Right to Information, one must study the manner in which
they are used by the PIOs and the Commission. A few cases handled by the Commission are given
below:

Information regarding a plan of and building restrictions around an Indian Air Force Station in Pune
was exempted from disclosure by the Commission as it could prejudicially affect national
security. [18] 

A request seeking for copies of the correspondence between the Ministry of External Affairs and the
Governments of the USSR over the disappearance of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was denied as
the disclosure of such information could affect relations with a foreign state. However, giving due
consideration to the applicant’s right to information, the Commission directed that the said
correspondence be examined by experts and if the experts are of the opinion that it would affect
relations with the Government of Russia, then the issue be settled only after a reference has been
made to the Government of Russia. [19] 

Where the applicant sought the names and addresses of the buyers and sellers in the cases of
transactions of securities with the Reserve Bank of India, the information was denied on the ground
that such information is market sensitive and its disclosure would prejudicially affect the RBI’s
competitive position and also the market in government securities. Hence, it was furnished to the
appellant without disclosing the names of individual buyers and sellers. [20] 

It must be noted that the term ‘personal information’ does not mean information relating to the
information seeker, but about a third party. If one were to seek information about his own case the
question of invasion of privacy does not arise. Therefore, the Commission directed the release of
the information sought by the appellant when it concerned his own company. [21] 

These cases show that where ever possible, the Commission has made attempts to supply as much
information as it can, without affecting protected interests, to the applicants. However,
notwithstanding anything under the Official Secrets Act or any of the exemptions in s.8(1), a public
authority may allow access to information, if public interest in disclosure outweighs the harm to the
protected interests. [22] For example, human rights violation and corruption-related information falls
within the domain of this test and must be disclosed, even if attracts the exemptions in s.8(1)
(a). [23] In another case, where the appellant, who was unfairly wronged in an inquiry, was allowed to
obtain the names of those who participated in the decision-making despite the exemption in s.8(1)
(g) since such blatant unfairness raised questions of good governance. [24] Thus, the exceptions
become part of the advantages to access to information in India.

Misuse of the act

The disadvantages of the act, however, are to be found often enough in its use by the applicants for
information. While the Act, via s.19, provides for compensation to the complainant in case of any
loss or other detriment suffered, it does not contain any provision for imposition of penalty in case
the applicant has attempted to misuse the Act.

Further, there being no provision in the Act to recover from information seekers the larger costs of
compiling and disclosing the information, certain people frequently and repeatedly put an
application under this act. [25] There are some who are genuinely fighting for a cause, and there are

others who do this in an attempt to harass public authorities. Often, such applications are quite
frivolous. In Shri R.P. Azad v. Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) [26] , the Commission
cautioned the complainant against using the RTI, as the cost of servicing frivolous complaints was
huge and he had already obtained a huge amount of information relating to his grievances, through
24 applications.
Often, applicants attempt to misuse the beneficial provisions of the RTI for personal gain, rather
than public gain. As an example, in one application, the applicant, who was under suspension and
had suffered a major penalty, had asked for voluminous information, including explanations, from
his employer about their operations. The Commission held that his intention was to further his own
personal gain and to harass the authorities and therefore dismissed his application for even more
information. [27] 

Conclusion

All persons possessing a portion of power ought to be strongly and awfully impressed with an idea
that they act in trust and that they are to account for their conduct in that trust.

—Edmund Bruke

A system that provides access to information has the advantage of furthering democracy by
increasing people’s participation in the decision-making process, allowing them to keep a check on
Governmental excesses and enables the better protection of human rights. Given the barriers to
availability of information in India, it would be very hard to obtain any information without such a
system. However, unrestrained flow of information on the other hand, acts against public interest
since it may endanger public and national security, and even impede the efficient working of the
Government. Moreover, questions arise when one considers the conflict between the right to privacy
and the right to information or the need to protect trade secrets. The system for accessing
information is provided for in the Right to Information Act, 2005. The Act lays down a system of
obtaining information from public authorities. It deals with the disadvantages of providing
information cautiously, and such provisions have been applied by authorities effectively.

However, with the people’s right to obtain information comes the duty to use this information
judicially and wisely. The Act should not be used as a means to harass the authorities or to further
one’s personal gain instead of public gain. As with the Government, the citizens of a country too
need to be responsible and conduct themselves with dignity. A system proving access to
information gives society the chance to further the aim of democracy and lead to an open and fair
society.

Cite This Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

OSCOLA APA MLA MLA-7 Harvard Vancouver Wikipedia

All Answers ltd, 'Indian Right To Information Act' (Lawteacher.net, November 2018)
<https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/constitutional-law/indian-right-to-information-act-
constitutional-law-essay.php?vref=1> accessed 26 November 2018
COPY TO CLIPBOARD

Need help with your work?

Find out more about our essay writing service:

ESSAY WRITING SERVICE

Dissertation Writing Service

Our Dissertation Writing service can help with everything from full dissertations to
 Our Dissertation Writing service can help with everything from full dissertations to
individual chapters.

Marking Service

Our Marking Service will help you pick out the areas of your work that need
improvement.

All Writing Services

Fully referenced, delivered on time. Get the extra support you require now.

FREE OSCOLA Referencing

FREE Case Summaries

FREE Act Summaries

FREE Lecture Notes

FREE Problem Question Examples

Request Removal
If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have the essay published on the Law
Teacher website then please click on the link below to request removal:

Request the removal of this essay

More from Law Teacher

Law Essays
 More Constitutional Law Essays

Examples of Our Work

We Write Bespoke Law Essays!

Find Out More

SERVICES

Law Essay Writing Service

Law Dissertation Writing Service

Law Assignment Writing Service

All Law Services

USEFUL RESOURCES

Law Essays

Case Summaries

Act Summaries

Problem Questions

OSCOLA Referencing Tool

LLM Resources

Law Help

Study Modules

COMPANY
About

Fair Use Policy

Complaints

Help Centre

Become a Researcher

Part of All Answers Ltd

Copyright © 2003 - 2018 - LawTeacher is a trading name of All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales.
Company Registration No: 4964706. VAT Registration No: 842417633. Registered Data Controller No: Z1821391. Registered
office: Venture House, Cross Street, Arnold, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG5 7PJ.

Privacy Policy

Terms & Conditions

Cookies