RTI Amendments Aimed at 'Enforcing Majoritarian Agenda': Sonia Gandhi Slams Centre For Changes in Law
In July, the Modi government had succeeded in passing the RTI Amendment Act, 2019, which changed the provisions in the law related to the tenure of information commissioners and norms related to their appointment. As per the amendment Bill, the tenure of the information commissioners has been slashed from five to three years.
New Delhi, October 31: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday lashed out at the Centre for introducing changes to the Right to Information (RTI) law earlier this year. The amendments, she alleged, has rendered the law null and void. The information commissioners - of both the Centre and the State - have now become subservient to the government of the day, Gandhi alleged. The "erosion and dilution" of the RTI Act is aimed at removing the final obstacle to "enforce their majoritarian agenda", she alleged.
In July, the Modi government had succeeded in passing the RTI Amendment Act, 2019, which changed the provisions in the law related to the tenure of information commissioners and norms on their appointment. As per the amendment Bill, the tenure of the information commissioners has been slashed from five to three years. Amit Shah Says 'Centre Committed to Reduce RTI Use, Putting Max Info in Public Domain'.
As per the erstwhile law, which was passed in 2006 under the UPA regime, the information commissioners were granted a fix-term of five years and their pay was at par with the election commissioners. The norm has been abrogated, as the government has been accorded the right to fix their pay and decide on their tenure of appointment. An information commissioner can now be transferred or removed in between his term as well.
"Any official who allows the release of information against the Government can now be swiftly removed or simply not continued in office. This will have a chilling effect on all Information Commissioners - Central and State," said the statement of Gandhi shared by the Congress.
"By reducing the benefits for these important posts, the Modi Government has ensured that no senior self-respecting official would agree to work under such monitored circumstances," Gandhi added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2019 04:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).