Right to Information Act, 2005-Evolution, Expectations

Right to Information Act, 2005-Evolution, Expectations and
Challenges
Dr. Alok Chantia
Lecturer, Dept. of Anthropology
Sri J.N.P.G. College, Lucknow
E-mail alokchantia@rediffmail.com
The right to information is very basic, fundamental right granted to citizens of any
country. It is a vital tool for the empowerment of people and strong weapon for the
success of any democracy. The State being the guardian of people, is answerable to its
nationals about the programmes and policies undertaken by it. Right to information is
imperative for the people to realize the fruits of democracy.
The recently enacted Right to Information Act, 2005 is a historic event in the democratic
growth of India. It not only covers within its ambit Central and State government but also
Local Authorities. It covers all the three wings of the Government-Legislative, executive
and Judiciary. The present Act is very exhaustive granting legal right of information to
the citizens of India against public authorities. Since power corrupts and absolute power
corrupts absolutely, hence it is mandatory that people should have as much information
about the government functionaries as possible. The present Act brings transparency and
openness in the system and checks arbitrary power of the government. Though Right to
Information Act ,2005 does not apply to private sectors but it is hoped that in near future
even private bodies will be taken within the clutches of the Act.
Though Right to Information Act, 2005 has been framed with high expectations but it
remains to be seen how it fulfills the expectations of the people who are ever hungry for
the information from any quarter. It also remains to be seen how authorities framed under
the Act are going to discharge their responsibilities in a nation where people are mainly
poor and illiterates. Here it is not hyperbolic to say that draftsmen of the Act lacked
foresight, there are so many provisions in other existing Statutes which may prove
bottlenecks in realizing the real objectives of the Act and in providing information to the
public at large. Besides there are so many inadequacies in the Act itself which may prove
suicidal for the survival of the Act.
In the light of above mentioned facts the present paper aims to deal with the evolution of
Right to Information Act,2005, with the expectations of people from the present Act and
with the challenges and difficulties to be faced by the authorities in implementing the
provisions of the present Act.
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