Your right to know
Harbans Singh

Right To Information Act, 2005: An Analysis
by Dr. Abhe Singh Yadav.: Central Law Publications, Allahabad. Rs.140. Pages 230.

Significantly, he author of Right to Information Act, 2005, Dr. Abhe Singh Yadav, studied the subject of Efficacy of Writ Jurisdiction: A Socio-Legal Critique for his doctoral thesis in Law. It dealt with the various factors affecting the efficacy of writ jurisdiction and their practical impact on the common man moving the courts to seek justice.

This book, whether by accident or design, is a logical extension of the desire to know how and what makes society a better and a just place to live in. His being an officer of the Haryana Civil Service and having worked as the Secretary of State Information Commission, Haryana has given him the opportunity to understand this right and explain this mighty tool to the citizens.

For much too long the Indian bureaucracy and its political masters have had a free run under the cover of the cloak of secrecy spread over decision making. This right has put the fear of accountability in their minds and therefore it can be expected that government functioning, once the full potential of the right has been established, will be cleaner. The book is important and useful for the readers in the region because it not only gives an analysis of the RTI Act, 2005 but also analyses the various features including some selected judgments. These provide a broad guideline to public spirited citizens so that efforts may not be wasted. Thus we know why frivolous queries have to be rejected and how other rights provided by the constitution are safeguarded by the judicious use of this Act.

However, one cannot help but feel that though the book takes into consideration the needs of the students of this right as well as the people who have caused the need to have this Act, yet the need of those who wish to wield this right is not fully met. For example, there are instances when a person is scared away by the heavy fee that is levied in the name of photo copying a large number of pages to pass the information.

When it has been established that frivolous information can be legitimately refused then why the important information cannot be compiled in a single page when photocopying the whole file would take as much time, some readers would like to know. One hopes that subsequent editions would also list examples of the stonewalling by the establishment and how to get around it.

Also available in Hindi, this is a readable and useful book for those who wish to be sentinels of transparency and accountability, notwithstanding the fact that it comes from the other side of the fence.

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