'Torment in Name of RTI'

Indian Express: Thiruvananthapuram: Wednesday, 27 May 2015.

The Kerala Police Ministerial Staff Association on Tuesday alleged that misuse of Right To Information (RTI) Act was rampant against the ministerial staff of the Kerala Police by vested interests.

Passing a resolution by the members of the association last week, the association urged the state government and the state police chief to take urgent steps against such forces who are mentally harassing the efficient police force in the name of RTI.

In a press release, the association stated that the officials were responsible for giving correct information to the respective queries. But in most cases, the petitioner wanted to know more about a criminal case or some information that could not be divulged at any cost. When they were informed that the particular information could not be exposed, the RTI activists tried to grill the respective officers by taking their personal details. This would lead to hampering of the secret nature of a case,” said a press statement.

The association also alleged that people with vested interests were deliberately trying to tarnish the image of some officers and trying to sabotage cases. They added that some section of the officers were at the receiving end as disciplinary action was being taken from the top.