Study of The Right to Information Act 2005 (RTI) and challenges faced by the RTI Act

Abstract

RTI act 2005 is a law enacted by the parliament of India, giving citizens of India access to records of the central government and state governments. The Act applies to all States and Union Territories of India, except the state of Jammu and Kashmir – which is covered under a State-level law. Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen (including the citizens within J&K) may request information from a “public authority” (a body of government) which is required to reply within thirty days. The Act also requires every public authority to computerise their records for wide dissemination and to proactively publish certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally. Thus, the Right to Information Act is a codification of the important fundamental right (Article 19) of citizens.