You are a Public Information Officer (PIO) in a government department. You are aware that the RTI Act 2005 envisages transparency and accountability in administration. The act has functioned as a check on the supposedly arbitrarily administrative behaviour and actions. However, as a PIO you have observed that there are citizens who filed RTI applications not for themselves but on behalf of such stakeholders who purportedly want to have access to information to further their own interests. At the same time there are these RTI activists who routinely file RTI applications and attempt to extort money from the decision makers. This type of RTI activism has affected the functioning of the administration adversely and also possibly jeopardises the genuineness of the applications which are essentially aimed at getting justice. What measures would you suggest to separate genuine and non-genuine applications? Give merits and demerits of your suggestions.
What the examiner wants
As PIO, suggest ways to handle non-genuine RTI requests without hurting genuine applicants.
Demand-wise check
- 1Stakeholders: genuine applicants, officials, public authority, activists, public≈50 words
- 2Issues: transparency vs administrative burden; extortion; Section 6(2) bars asking reasons≈50 words
- 3Measures: proactive disclosure under Section 4; publishing all RTI replies online (reduces leverage for extortion); clubbing repetitive requests; using Section 7(9) and Section 8 properly; reporting extortion to police; training PIOs≈50 words
- 4Merits/demerits: online publication cuts misuse but privacy concerns; screening motive is illegal and could chill genuine users≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Where marks usually go
- Suggesting motive checks, which the Act prohibits
- Ignoring threats to RTI activists
Draw this
- Table: measure → merit → demerit
Value addition
- CaseCBSE v Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011): indiscriminate RTI demands should not obstruct administration.Supreme Court, 2011
- LawSection 6(2) of the RTI Act: applicants need not give reasons for seeking information.RTI Act, 2005
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 31 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 35 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 33 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 33 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
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