"An Intervention to Protect the lives of whistleblowers,"
Still Much More to Be Done
Go ahead: Read below few media stories published over last 04 days.
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Indian Express
DoPT asks PIOs not to divulge personal info of RTI applicants
Partha Sarathi Biswas :Pune, Thu Jan 09 2014, 02:08 hrs
In a move welcomed by many, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has issued guidelines restraining Public Information Officers (PIOs) from disclosing or sharing details of the information sought under Right to Information (RTI) Act.
On October 25, Newsline had highlighted the trend in Maharashtra wherein PIOs sent original RTI applications seeking details of licences and MoUs signed by the state government and the companies to the companies asking them to send the information directly to the applicant.
When the Newsline had applied for a copy of the MoU signed by a private telecommunication giant and the state government, the PIO of the department of industries, labour and energy had forwarded the same directly to the company in question.
The covering note attached to the application directed the company to directly send the answer to the applicant. Similar incidents were reported by other RTI users who had asked for similar details from Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and other departments.
This trend was criticised by RTI activist Commodore (Rtd) Lokesh Batra. He had written to the DoPT asking for guidelines for PIOs to stop disclosing such information. Batra, in his letter to secretary, DoPT, said that this in contravention with Section 2 (f) and 6(3) of the RTI Act.
He pointed out that these sections of the Act make it mandatory for the PIO to collect information and, if need be, transfer the applications to public authorities. "Private companies do not constitute public authorities, and thus, applications can't be transferred to them. It is for the public authority to collect the information without disclosing the identity of the information seeker," the letter said.
Batra had followed up the issue with the department and had pointed out how on November 20 the Kolkata High Court forbade the disclosure of personal information of applicant. The order stated that a post box address would suffice on the applications. Also the order stated that efforts should be made by the PIOs to protect the identity of the applicants at all cost.
The DoPT on Wednesday uploaded on its website the High Court's judgment with the note that the same should be brought to the notice of all. Batra welcoming the move said the PIOs should take care not to divulge the personal information of the applicants.
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Daink Jagran
पते के लिए बाध्य नहीं किए जा सकते आरटीआइ कार्यकर्ता
Mon, 13 Jan 2014 11:55 AM (IST)
नई दिल्ली। सूचना का अधिकार (आरटीआइ) कानून के तहत अहम जानकारी मांगने वालों की सुरक्षा के लिए सरकार ने महत्वपूर्ण कदम उठाया है।
उसने सरकारी महकमों से कहा है कि आरटीआइ कार्यकर्ताओं को अपना पता बताने के लिए बाध्य नहीं किया जा सकता है। अगर उन्होंने कोई पोस्ट बॉक्स नंबर मुहैया कराया है तो अधिकारी उसी पर आवेदक के साथ पत्राचार करें।
कार्मिक मंत्रालय ने केंद्र सरकार के सभी मंत्रालयों और विभागों को हिदायत दी है कि वे किसी आरटीआइ आवेदक को पता बताने के लिए मजबूर नहीं करें बल्कि पत्राचार के लिए उनके द्वारा दिए गए पोस्ट बॉक्स नंबर पर ही उनसे संपर्क करें।
कलकत्ता हाईकोर्ट के गत वर्ष 20 नवंबर के एक फैसले के मद्देनजर कार्मिक मंत्रालय ने सरकारी विभागों को यह सलाह दी है। आरटीआइ कार्यकर्ता अभिषेक गोयनका की याचिका का निस्तारण करते हुए हाई कोर्ट ने कार्मिक सचिव को आदेश दिया था कि वे अदालत के आदेश की एक प्रति समस्त विभागों को प्रेषित करें ताकि अधिकारी आवेदक के निजी ब्योरे की गोपनीयता के लिए जरूरी कदम उठा सकें।
दरअसल आरटीआइ कानून के तहत सरकारी विभागों से कोई भी जानकारी मांगने के लिए आवेदक को अपना पूरा ब्योरा भी देना होता है।
कभी-कभार ऐसे आवेदकों का पता सार्वजनिक हो जाने पर उनकी सुरक्षा पर खतरा पैदा हो जाता है।
इस पर अक्टूबर, 2013 को आरटीआइ कार्यकर्ता लोकेश बत्रा ने कार्मिक मंत्रालय से शिकायत की थी कि जन सूचना अधिकारी आवेदकों का निजी ब्योरे अन्य लोगों से साझा कर रहे हैं।
इस बीच कलकत्ता हाई कोर्ट का आदेश भी प्रभावी हो गया। कार्मिक मंत्रालय ने स्पष्ट कहा है, 'अगर आरटीआइ आवेदक ने पोस्ट बॉक्स नंबर दिया है तो अधिकारियों और आवेदक के बीच पत्राचार उसी के जरिये होना चाहिए। अधिकारी, आवेदक को पता बताने के लिए विवश नहीं कर सकते हैं।' उसने आगे स्पष्ट किया है कि अगर पोस्ट बॉक्स से संपर्क में दिक्कत पैदा हो रही हो तभी अधिकारी आवेदक से उसका निजी ब्योरा मांगने पर जोर दे सकते हैं बशर्ते अधिकारी उस ब्योरे की गोपनीयता सुनिश्चित रख सकें।
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PTI / Times of India
Do not insist on RTI applicants to provide address: Centre
PTI Jan 12, 2014, 10.15AM IST
NEW DELHI: Government departments should not insist on seeking address of an RTI applicant if a post box number is being provided to them for communication, the Centre has said.
The ministry of personnel has written to all central government ministries or departments, who act as public authorities mandated with providing information on RTI applications made to them, citing a judgement by Calcutta high court in this regard.
"When the legislature thought it fit, the applicant need not disclose any personal detail, the authority should not insist upon his detailed whereabouts particularly when post box number is provided for establishing contact between him and the authority.
"In case the authority would find any difficulty with the post box number, they may insist upon personal details. However, in such case, it would be the solemn duty of the authority to hide such information and particularly from their website so that people at large would not know of the details," the high court judgment said.
The order had come following a writ petition by Avishek Goenka who sought the court's direction that authority should not insist upon the detailed address of the applicant as and when any application is made under the Right to Information Act.
The interested parties could cause a threat to the activist and there have been past incidents of unnatural deaths of activists in the field, presumably by persons having vested interest to conceal the information that is asked for by the activist, the petitioner had said.
Disposing of the petition on November 20, last year, the court had directed the secretary, ministry of personnel, to circulate a copy of its order to all concerned so that the authority can take appropriate measures to hide information with regard to personal details of the activists to avoid any harassment by the persons having vested interest.
The personnel ministry, which is the nodal department for implementation of the RTI Act, had on Wednesday sent a copy of the court's order to all ministries and chief secretaries of state governments for "appropriate action".
"It is a step in the right direction towards protecting the lives of whistleblowers," said Commodore Lokesh K Batra (Retired), who had in October 2013 brought to the notice of the ministry that public information officers were sharing personal data of RTI applicants with private bodies, thus endangering the lives of information seekers.
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Hindustan Times
PTI
RTI applicants needn't provide address: Centre
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