RTI was never meant to be a nuisance for governments, departments, or institutions. It was meant to be a tool for citizens to ask questions of those exercising public power.
Yet, increasingly, citizens hear the same responses:
"Not under RTI." "Does not concern you." "Information unavailable." "Exempted from disclosure."
Sometimes exemptions are legitimate. National security, personal privacy, and sensitive investigations require protection.
But excessive secrecy creates a different problem, public institutions begin scrutinizing citizens while citizens are denied the ability to scrutinize institutions.
Democracy does not function on trust alone. It functions on verifiable information. Accountability is impossible when decisions, appointments, expenditures, contracts, and administrative actions disappear behind opaque walls.
RTI is important because corruption, favoritism, inefficiency, and abuse of power rarely announce themselves voluntarily. Transparency is often the only mechanism through which citizens, journalists, researchers, and activists can uncover wrongdoing.
Every sector that spends public money, exercises public authority, or influences public life should be subject to meaningful transparency requirements. The principle should be simple,
The more power an institution has over citizens, the greater should be its obligation to answer citizens' questions.
Information is not the property of officials. In a democracy, information generated through public authority ultimately belongs to the public.
अयोध्या में श्रीरामजन्मभूमि मंदिर चढ़ावा चोरों के घर पहुंच गयी। जेल भेजे गये सभी 8 आरोपियों के घरों पर सुबह से पुलिस की जाँच चल रही है। परिवार से पूछताछ हो रही है। बैंक खाते, जमीन जायदाद का ब्यौरा लिया जा रहा है।
चढ़ावा चोरी पकड़े जाते ही मंदिर 'आस्था' से 'व्यवस्था' बन गया। आस्था की जेब काट के 'मार्क्स-मार्क्स' चिल्लाने लगे। ये आपका 'वल्चरल रिमार्क्सवाद' है!
कुँवर नारायण जी ने ठीक ही कहा था
हे राम, कहाँ यह समय
कहाँ तुम्हारा त्रेता युग,
कहाँ तुम मर्यादा पुरुषोत्तम
कहाँ यह नेता-युग
@chitraaum You don't have to be Ram Bhakt to question about corruption and stealing from the Donation of Ram Mandir. And you don't get to decide who's a real bhakt and who's not; better focus on who's a real journalist.
No outrage from andhbhakts over the Ram Mandir donation scam. That alone proves they care more about BJP than Hinduism.
The same people who claim to be defenders of faith suddenly go silent when questions are asked of their own leaders. Their loyalty isn't to religion, truth, or accountability, it's to their political PawPaws.
A shameful display of blind devotion.