Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Bind over RTI Act

This refers to the report that the Government is in a bind over the proposed amendment exempting file notings from the purview of the Right to Information Act (Aug. 21), deferred for now. Even the President is reported to have expressed reservations on making the notings public. There is no reason to believe that honest officials will refrain from rendering objective, frank, written advice. Only those who make notings in a partisan way, often in gross violation of rules, will hesitate to put them on record.

M.P. Padmanabhan,
Chennai

An honest and upright officer will have nothing to hide. The disclosure of his file notings will not discourage him from faithfully recording his views. Only dishonest officials will exercise caution. It would be in the nation's interest that such officials do not record their views.

Nirmala Asokan,
Chennai

Notings on files form a part of the decision-making process. There is no question of the government believing the word of an NGO over that of a service chief. In a democracy, the people are supreme and everything else is a working arrangement. Unfortunately, for 60 years, bureaucrats have got used to bulldozing the people. Let us give the man on the street a chance to peep into the corridors of power, which the Constitution says is vested in him.

T. Balakrishnan,
Kozhikode, Kerala

The `rulers' of this country are firm believers in their divine right to rule, which means their action cannot be questioned by mortals. Democracy and accountability be damned! The reasoning that the disclosure of file notings will harm the decision-making process is unacceptable.

If an official is incapable of taking objective decisions based on relevant criteria, he has no business to be where he is. The blanket opposition to the Act by the armed forces shows them in a bad light. Some strategic decisions may need to be kept secret, but not administrative and financial aspects.

B. Ravveendrra,
Hyderabad

Due credit should be given to NGOs and the media for bringing the issue to the limelight. But it is not celebration time yet. The Government may pass the amendment in the next Parliament session. NGOs and the media should utilise the time to mobilise public opinion against the amendment.

G. Surendhar,
Tuticorin, T.N.

The disclosure of file notings will certainly prevent many officials from giving their frank opinion, for fear of inviting trouble from those affected by their decision or opinion. The fear whether the notings will impact on them at a later stage will severely affect the quality and fairness of opinion rendered by them.

Defence services and other departments handling sensitive information have to maintain confidentiality. Disclosure of file notings and the process of decision-making in the services will only do more harm than good.

Muralidharan Raju Iyer,
Chennai

Sharing decisions with the public is acceptable, but giving minute details of the decision-making process is not. Civil servants will not be able to express their opinion in a free and frank manner, as every word they write will come under the scanner. Such a situation will lead to official files being reduced to mere notices, with all crucial details withheld.

Ramit Arora,
Patiala, Punjab

The fear that the disclosure of file notings may give rise to political vendetta is not entirely misplaced. They need not be made known to anyone who asks for them. But relevant information regarding who was favoured in a particular instance and why the one seeking information was not may be provided. Otherwise, there will be no way of knowing whether there was any favouritism in taking a decision.

K. Panchapagesan,
Bangalore

Any measure to dilute the provisions of the RTI Act may be retrograde. At the same time, the Act cannot be imposed on the system. Legitimate concerns of the President, bureaucracy, armed forces, and the UPSC need to be addressed. The views of these institutions are as important as those of civil society.

Naveen Marrapu,
Hyderabad

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

The magic shehnai
AIDS control priorities
Little chance of nuclear compromise
Why delay the Tribal Rights Bill?
A gold mine waiting to be tapped
Corrections and Clarifications
The moralists have already lost their case
Bind over RTI Act
Office of profit issue
Unrivalled legend

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu