Indian
Express: New Delhi: Saturday, October 13, 2012.
Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday cautioned against the “frivolous” and
“vexatious” use of the RTI Act, saying that the citizens’ right to know should
be circumscribed if it encroaches on an individual’s privacy.
He also
warned against blanket extension of RTI to bodies like public-private
partnerships, as this “may discourage private enterprises” from partnerships
with the public sector.
Inaugurating
the seventh National RTI Conference organised by the Central Information
Commission, the PM said: “There is a fine balance required... between the right
to information and the right to privacy, which stems out of the fundamental
right to life and liberty. The citizens’ right to know should definitely be
circumscribed if disclosure of information encroaches upon someone’s personal
privacy. But where to draw the line is a complicated question.”
Singh had
expressed similar concerns, seeking a “critical review” of the RTI Act, at last
year’s convention.
On Friday, he
said: “There are concerns about frivolous and vexatious use of the Act in
demanding information the disclosure of which cannot possibly serve any public
purpose. Sometimes information covering a long time span or a large number of
cases is sought with the objective of discovering an inconsistency or mistake
which can be criticised. Such queries besides serving little productive purpose
are also a drain on the resources of the public authorities, diverting precious
man hours.”
While warning
against “blanket extension” of the Act to PPPs, Singh said that “blanket
exclusion may harm accountability of public officials”.
Seeking a
“more constructive and productive use of RTI”, the PM said: “This... should not
only be about criticising, ridiculing and running down public authorities...
the ultimate goal of the legislation is to induce more efficiency in the work
of the government and help it serve the people better.”
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