|
The
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
has welcomed the passing of the Right to Information
Bill by the Indian Parliament on 12 May and called
for immediate scrapping of the Official Secrets
Act.
"The
enactment of this significant piece of legislation
is a positive steps towards establishing the citizen's
right to know," said IFJ President Christopher
Warren.
The
passing of the Right to Information Bill is the
result a sustained campaign by Indian civil society
organisations and is a marked improvement on its
predecessor, the Freedom of Information Act. The
Bill is in consonance with a worldwide Freedom
of Information Movement that has led to the enactment
of more than 50 similar Bills around the world.
The
Bill legitimises citizens' right to information
and the duty of the government to provide it.
It also establishes that the state apparatus must
be materially equipped to provide that information,
and that access to information must be inexpensive.
Most importantly, it contains serious penalties
for
non-compliance and also provides for an independent
appeals procedure in case of non-compliance or
disputes. This
Bill is also unique in that the implementation
will be overseen by a body whose composition is
not confined to civil servants.
"The
Right to Information Bill will contribute to increased
accountability by the government, since corruption
and misuse of official resources will now come
under stricter scrutiny," said the IFJ. It
will also act as a tool for journalists to access
information that should be put into the public
domain.
The
IFJ however views with disquiet the introduction
of a new category of government bodies that will
be outside the purview of the Bill — intelligence
and security agencies established by state governments.
This multiplies manifold the number of agencies
exempt from the purview of the law.
"If
the government is serious about ensuring transparency
in governance, it should immediately scrap the
archaic Official Secrets Act that has been used
to harass and imprison journalists doing their
job of informing the public," said Warren.
Back to Press releases
|
