Indian
Express: Mumbai: Wednesday, 11 March 2015.
The Bombay
High Court (HC) Tuesday asked the state government to consider protecting RTI
activists, social workers, whistleblowers and witnesses under the Maharashtra
Protection of Witnesses Act, 2015, being drafted by the government.
The HC was
informed that while the draft includes only witness protection, the Government
Resolution (GR) provides protection to RTI activists, social workers and
whistleblowers. “The government should take an appropriate decision. If there
is a legislation, then it should provide protection to RTI activists, social
workers, whistleblowers and witnesses,” said Justices A S Oka and A K Menon.
The court was
hearing a suo motu (on its own) public interest litigation, which was initially
taken up in January 2010 for protection of whistleblowers, but expanded to
include witnesses. While the state came out with a policy for whistleblowers,
it had not for witnesses.
The state
government also informed the HC that a committee had been formed to draft the
Act, which would continue functioning till the Act comes into operation. “All
directions pertaining to whistleblowers, witnesses will continue to operate,”
said the court. The matter has been kept for issuance of directions on July 27.
In the last
hearing, the government had informed the HC that it is considering the draft
enactment forwarded by the director general for providing protection to
witnesses.
The
government had been asked to file its affidavit within on whether it was going
to implement the draft.
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