Right to Information (RTI) activists who had written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding what they claimed was a 'lack of transparency and public consultation' in relation to the proposed Delhi Lokpal Bill and the Service Delivery Amendment Bill are 'deeply disappointed' at the response they received.
Mr. Kejriwal's office, the group announced on Tuesday, responded to their queries justifying the purported lack of consultation and transparency stating that the 'fundamental suggestions from the public on these crucial bills were already known, the text of the proposed legislations on above Bills has not been put in public domain for further consultations.'
On November 21, activists including Anjali Bhardwaj, Shailesh Gandhi, Aruna Roy, Prashant Bhushan, Nikhil Dey and Maja Daruwala among others wrote to Mr. Kejriwal stating that while they welcomed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's move to bring the two crucial legislations to the Delhi Assembly for consideration and passage they were 'deeply concerned to note that the AAP government has not made public the text of either of these two Bills.'
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In reply, Rajeev Gupta, OSD to Mr. Kejriwal, said he had been directed to convey to them on his behalf that 'the Lokpal Bill and the Service Delivery Amendment Bill have been in discussion for last many years and the fundamental suggestions from the public on these crucial Bills were already known, the text of the proposed legislations on above Bills has not been put in public domain for further consultations.'
In future, however, Mr. Gupta added that all matters pertaining to the Bills introduced in the Delhi Assembly would be put in the public domain and suggestions from the public would be invited 'in proper participatory process.'