When observers touted the passing of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 as the Indian Parliament’s greatest gift to the nation after Independence, many of us professional sceptics dismissed the claim as self-congratulatory hyperbole. So what else was new? The system would, as it always does, find a way to subvert the legislation’s intent, spirit, and implementation in much the same way as it makes a mockery of Panchayati Raj, anti-dowry laws, Prevention of Corruption Act, and the myriad of anti-poverty measures that are intended to empower ordinary people against injustice and the depredations of a runaway government.
Repeatedly, we have observed in this space as well as within the columns of the magazine, that the weakness of checks and balances within the Indian system of governance is responsible for the Leviathan state before which reformers and advocates of accountability quail with impotence. But, maybe, just maybe, the times, they are a-changin’.
Our very first issue featured RTI Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah on the cover. This was, by design, an editorial statement: Where better to start a magazine focused on good governance, public policy debates, and the functioning of the bureaucracy, than with RTI, a radical reform measure designed to light the wicks of grassroots democracy? Habibullah, a realist, was perfectly frank that there would be a vested interest within the bureaucracy to strangle the baby in its cradle through non-compliance and legerdemain. But he was equally hopeful that once the genie was out of the bottle it would be difficult to re-cork it. It would unleash the power of ordinary people.
Little did he know how prophetic he was. This is not to suggest that a revolution has occurred. But something significant is afoot. As correspondent Tara Patkar’s report in this issue points out, the use of the RTI has already unleashed headline-making information such as the moveable and immoveable assets of UP’s bureaucrats, Members of Parliament illegally occupying government bungalows, profligacy by state governments, violations brought before the National Human Rights Commission and so on.
What is astounding is that rival political parties have now begun using the RTI to expose corruption and false promises in opposition ruling groups. In a revolutionary move, a call centre in Bihar, appropriately named “Jankari”, helps the rural population file RTI applications by using private or public telephones. The tide is swelling.
The backlash is expected. For example, UP Chief Minister Mayawati tried to eliminate 14 subjects from RTI jurisdiction including the appointment of the Governor and Ministers, but backed off under public pressure. Even though the Union government spent a meagre Rs 2 lakhs last year on publicizing the RTI Act (and this figure was obtained under an RTI query from the Department of Personnel and Training!) , and people have actually been jailed under trumped-up charges for seeking information on subjects like land reforms, the now palpable movement for transparency in government is like the tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.
Inderjit Badhwar
Inderjit Badhwaris a veteran journalist, novelist and the former editor of India Today. He has written for various Indian and American newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times and Outlook. Now based in New Delhi, Badhwar heads gfiles, India's first magazine on the Civil Services of India.
