The Week: Letter-To-Editor: Sunday, 19th
October 2025.
While the Right to
Information Act has empowered citizens, it has also put the lives of those who
dare to use it in danger (‘Right gone wrong’, October 12). As India marks two
decades of the RTI Act, she must confront a grim truth more than 100 activists
have been killed and meaningful protection for whistleblowers remains out of
reach. The law must evolve beyond granting access to information. It must
provide real safeguards for those who expose corruption.
If truth-seeking continues to be answered with violence, the RTI will remain a paper shield. Whistleblowers are not troublemakers they are the lifeblood of democracy. It is time the state treated them as such.
K. Chidanand Kumar, On email.
The RTI Act must become far more potent. It embodies a citizen’s fundamental right to truth. No government should ever have the audacity to weaken or restrict it. Yet, the current climate poses serious challenges to the spirit of transparency the RTI represents. Both the Centre and states must ensure that the right to information not only survives but also thrives.
Tapesh Nagpal, On email.
If truth-seeking continues to be answered with violence, the RTI will remain a paper shield. Whistleblowers are not troublemakers they are the lifeblood of democracy. It is time the state treated them as such.
K. Chidanand Kumar, On email.
The RTI Act must become far more potent. It embodies a citizen’s fundamental right to truth. No government should ever have the audacity to weaken or restrict it. Yet, the current climate poses serious challenges to the spirit of transparency the RTI represents. Both the Centre and states must ensure that the right to information not only survives but also thrives.
Tapesh Nagpal, On email.
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