Right to Information Act (2005) is an effective tool to put a bridle on corruptions and scams in government and its aided sectors. Many secret scandals have been exposed, thanks to the Act. This Act has brought more transparency in government sectors and made the officers work with more responsibility. These views were expressed by Dr. Syed QasimRasoolIlyas, member All India Muslim Personal Law Board, while addressing a public gathering on ‘RTI: a boon for society’ at Jamaat-e-Islami Hind headquarters in the national capital on 8 June.
Elaborating the issue, Dr. Ilyas said the Act has exposed the truth about Batla House Encounter, 26/11 Mumbai attack, corruption in MANREGS and many other treacheries that are rampant in the country. Citing an example, the speaker said the UPA government had earlier identified around 200 Muslim concentration districts in the country and decided to allocate special funds for the development of these districts. But the information sought through an RTI application revealed that the government has either not allocated any fund at all for them or — if allocated — it was used for the development of other than minorities.
Dr. Ilyas, who is also General Secretary of Welfare Party of India, said all government or semi-government institutions or Non-Governmental Organisations aided or funded by the government come under the ambit of the Act and one has right to know about the overall functioning and other things of the said institutions except those which are risky for the security of the country or violate someone’s privacy. Adding that one has right to know the specific remark and noting of an officer attached with some file. He further said that every institution is bound to appoint a Public Information Officer for the purpose and no institution has any right to reject any RTI application even though it was not related to his department. Dr. Ilyas said if the sought information is not of any officer’s department, it is his duty to send the application to the concerned department and inform the applicant.
The speaker added that if an officer rejects an RTI application on some technical ground, the applicant may file first and second appeal respectively countering the officer’s excuse with his logic. He further claimed that his party has filed around 700 RTIs on different issues so far and no police station and government sector is there in the country without receiving applications from the party.