📜 The Untold Story of RTI: How India Won the Right to Know
“Information is power. When citizens are informed, democracy becomes meaningful.”
The spirit behind the RTI Movement in India.
What is RTI?
The Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 is one of India’s most powerful laws. It allows any citizen to ask questions to the government, inspect records, take copies of official documents, and hold public authorities accountable. But this didn’t come easily — it took years of struggle, activism, and sacrifice.
🔍 The Origins: Why the RTI Movement Started
1. Pre-RTI Era: Darkness in Governance
Before RTI, government functioning was secretive. Files moved behind closed doors. People had no idea how decisions were made, where funds were going, or why benefits didn’t reach them. Corruption was rampant and there was no law that gave citizens the right to access information from public offices.
✊ The People’s Movement Begins
2. Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) – Rajasthan’s Revolution
In the early 1990s, a powerful people’s movement began in Rajasthan.
- MKSS (Workers and Farmers Power Organization) led by Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Shankar Singh, and others, fought for transparency in rural development schemes.
- Villagers in Devdungri and Beawar wanted to know how government money meant for roads, ration shops, and houses was actually used.
- They discovered officials and contractors were faking records, keeping the money while villagers remained poor and hungry.
The demand was simple: “Hamein Humara Hisab Chahiye” (We want our accounts!)
MKSS began public hearings (jan sunwais), reading government records aloud in villages — shocking people with evidence of corruption. These meetings drew media attention and public sympathy.
📢 3. Growing National Movement
Between 1996 and 2004, the push for RTI grew stronger.
- Civil society organizations, lawyers, journalists, and citizens joined in.
- States like Tamil Nadu (1997), Goa (1997), Rajasthan (2000), and Delhi (2001) began passing their own state-level RTI laws.
- Public outrage grew after scams like fodder scam, defence scams, and fake employment records came to light.
🏛️ 4. Legislative Action: The Government Responds
- In 2000, the Shourie Committee, under the NDA government, proposed a Freedom of Information Act.
- It passed in 2002, but it was weak and never implemented properly.
- After 2004, the UPA government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and with strong support from Congress President Sonia Gandhi, decided to strengthen it.
Aruna Roy, now a National Advisory Council (NAC) member, played a crucial role in drafting a new, stronger RTI law.
✅ 5. Birth of the RTI Act, 2005
On 15 June 2005, the Right to Information Act was passed by Parliament.
- It came into force on 12 October 2005.
- It replaced secrecy with transparency, making it mandatory for public authorities to respond to RTI requests within 30 days.
It covered:
- All Central and State government departments
- PSUs, municipalities, panchayats, schools, hospitals, and more
📚 RTI’s Legal Foundation: Linked to the Constitution
The Supreme Court of India had, even before RTI, ruled that the Right to Information is part of Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution (Freedom of Speech and Expression). Why?
Because you can’t speak or express yourself meaningfully without knowing the truth. Hence, information is fundamental to democracy.
🎯 Achievements of RTI
Since 2005:
- Over 3 crore RTIs have been filed.
- Scams like Adarsh Society, Commonwealth Games, and irregularities in PDS and MNREGA have been exposed.
- Ordinary citizens have questioned local corruption in roads, ration shops, schools, and police departments.
⚠Challenges and Resistance
Despite its success, RTI faces:
- Threats and attacks on RTI activists
- Delays and denials by public officials
- Dilution attempts by changing rules or weakening commissions
- Limited awareness, especially in rural and tribal areas
🌟 RTI and Media
RTI has become a crucial tool for journalists:
- Investigating scams and fake claims
- Getting access to government data
- Verifying official statements
- Supporting fact-based reporting
Bharat Aawaz and Bharat Media Association can train local reporters and YouTubers in RTI use to strengthen grassroots journalism.
🫡 The Patriotic Spirit of RTI
RTI is not just a law — it’s a movement for truth, justice, and democracy.
- It belongs to every Indian citizen, regardless of class or education.
- It proves that democracy works best when people are informed.
- It is a tribute to India’s freedom fighters, who dreamt of a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
🙏 Remember These Names
- Aruna Roy – The mother of the RTI movement
- MKSS – The grassroots warriors
- People of Rajasthan – Who asked the first questions
- Countless activists – Some who even died for exposing the truth
