Karnataka contemplates changes in the RTI rules
16 Feb, 2015On September 22, 2014, some changes were suggested in the Right to Information Act, 2005 during a meeting held under the chairmanship of the Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms of Karnataka Mr. V Umesh. Now, the State government is learnt to have moved ahead to implement the decision. Now, the state government is contemplating some radical changes in the RTI rules. The changes discussed and likely to be taken up are as under:
1. Imposing postal charges on the RTI applicants
2. Keeping the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) out of the ambit of the RTI Act. While the administration and services would continue to be within the purview of the RTI Act, the investigative task of the CID is proposed to be kept beyond the scope of RTI Act. Addition of the CID to the schedule to section 24 has been discussed.
3. It has proposed to deploy police constables inside the court hall of the Information Commissioner.
4. It has been learnt that the issue of is blacklisting of ‘mischievous’ RTI applicants who are said to be harassing officials by filing RTI applications was dropped in the meeting citing absence of any provision in the RTI Act for taking such an action.