group of Right to Information activists boycotted the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Right to Information Act here on Tuesday, organised by the State Information Commission.
D.B. Binu, general secretary of the Human Rights Defence Forum, alleged at a press conference here that the working of the State Information Commission was “disappointing”. Around 10,000 appeals and complaints awaited clearance by the commission, he said.
The information commissioners were reluctant to take action against officials who delayed replies to RTI applications. They also generally adopted a stance in favour of officials. The commission was on the way to a “standstill” at a time of rampant corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency in the State, said a statement issued during a press conference.
The activists described the anniversary celebrations here as a “bureaucratic festival”. The organisers of the programme had not invited any RTI activist to the function, the statement said.
The occasion should have been used to discuss the problems confronting the State Information Commission, including the delay in appointment of commissioners. The State Information Commission had only a Chief Information Commissioner while four posts were remaining vacant.
K.N.K. Namboodiri, patron of the Kerala RTI Federation; M.A. Pookkoya, State coordinator of NCPRI, and M.K. Haridas, president of Proper Channel, were among those who joined the protest.
