SC expresses concern over RTI misuse

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 16

Expressing concern over misuse of the RTI Act for “criminal intimidation” by those unconnected with the issues raised, the Supreme Court today highlighted the need to evolve guidelines to check it.

“People who are in no way connected to an issue file RTI pleas. Sometimes it amounts to criminal intimidation, which is a nice word for blackmail. We are not against the RTI Act, but we think it is necessary to evolve some kind of guidelines to regulate this…time has come to look into its abuse,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said.

“There are people who put on their letterheads ‘RTI Consultant’…They call themselves ‘RTI Activists’. Is that an occupation? There may be an axe to grind behind RTI requests. We want to find a way to stop the abuse of RTI Act,” the CJI said.

The Bench, which also included Justice BR Gavai and Justice Surya Kant, made these comments while hearing a PIL by activist Anjali Bhardwaj seeking direction to the Centre and states to fill vacancies of information commissioners in the Central Information Commission (CIC) and State Information Commissions (SICs). The Bench directed the Centre and states to appoint information commissioners in the CIC and SICs within three months.