Book review

A COMMENTARY AND DIGEST ON THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, 2005

Dheera Khandelwal, (I.A.S.) & Krishna K. Khandelwal, (I.A.S.) The Bright Law House, 105, Vardhman City Plaza, Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi-110002 First edition 2007, 1182p, law, Price Rs. 1295/-

Dheera Khandelwal and Krishna K. Khandelwal are the authors of the book, both are highly qualified as earned qualification in various streams like law, science, commerce, arts etc. and are in position of I.A.S officer of batch 1986 and 1985 respectively and eminent authors of many publications on various subject matters.

The objective or purpose of this handbook: The title of the book explains the subject matter of Right to Information Act, 2005. The main objective of this handbook is to provide basic information to the citizens of India to build awareness of RTI, Act 2005.

The information in the handbook is organized in the following sequence. Introduction, RTI Act 2005, Central Rules under the RTI Act 2005, State rules under the RTI Act 2005, Supreme Court on RTI, others law, International covenants on Civil and political rights, Guidelines on Right to Knowledge, Handbook for public authorities, Specimen forms under the RTI Act 2005 and decisions of Information Commissions.

The intended users of this handbook are Members of Parliament and State legislature, Concerned Ministry, Departments of Central Govt, State Govts., and various NGOs; Social Worker, Trainers, Caregivers; Officers working in various departments either directly or indirectly concerned with the programme and Public at large.

The background of the book is right to know which flow from fundamental right of the constitution of India. Transparency and cleanliness in working are the essential elements to strengthen a Democratic system. In this perspective Govt of India enacted the Right to Information Act, 2005.

This book is all about Right to information. Particularly this book is intended to comment and digest on the RTI Act, 2005. This is an effort of the authors to provide basic information to the citizens of India to build awareness on the Act, 2005. This book successfully explains the RTI Act 2005, Central Rules under the RTI Act 2005, State rules under the RTI Act 2005, Supreme Court on RTI, others law, International covenants on Civil and political rights, Guidelines on Right to Knowledge, Handbook for public authorities, Specimen forms under the RTI Act 2005 and decisions of Information Commissions. The sequence of the contents in the book reflects the competency and the organizational skills of the authors. Any reader may really found the book very exhaustive on the subject matter of the RTI. Particularly it helps and suggests the readers to understand the intricacy of the Act, linkage of the Act with the Constitution and other various Act, the procedure to file the application, the manner to reply the sought information, time bindings provisions, penal provisions, importance of the Act etc. It might mean to a reader all about the requirement, significance, and procedure of the filing of the application requesting the information. The book tried to achieve its purpose to aware the reader about the need and the potential of the Act. The authors viewpoint and purpose of the book are to make the balance between the three pillar of the government and the justification of the public trust by the requisite disclosure. Its only the information disclosure of the public interest by the system by which the citizen may analyse, assess, and watch the working and the functioning of the government plannings. It further helps them to find the best suitable candidate to elect in the next elections. In the present context the said view points and purpose for the book is seems to be appropriate to me. The authors main points are to make aware the citizen about their right to information, which holder by the government

and other institutions and that may affect the well-being of the individual as a member of the society, even if it does not refer to them by name. This information may be categorised into politics, social welfare, health, education, environment, planned investment, security, justice etc. The author is in opinion that if the public do not have adequate information about what the government is doing in these areas, then they will not able to exercise those rights fully. It seems that the author supported their points adequately and trying to convince the reader by explaining the Act. This book is seems to be extra-ordinary as relate to other books on the same topic due to the addition of related Acts and their explanations and the commentary and not merely the bare Acts. Although this book is not unique in view of other books present on the subject matter of RTI but no doubt that it is a good collection of the Acts and the related information with the relevant forms used for the subject matter of RTI. It is quite enriched with number of relevant case studies and remarks which further may help the reader to understand the Act better. Anyone in the group of citizen may find this book useful. Particularly the Members of Parliament and State legislature, Concerned Ministry, Departments of Central Govt, State Govts., and various NGOs; Social Worker, Trainers, Caregivers; Officers working in various departments either directly or indirectly concerned with the programme. The author have the necessary expertise to write this book as it is a very complex subject matter which balancing the interest of the government and the public at large. The authors have the proved professional expertise, credentials and the background which qualify them to write this book. The authors have already written various articles and other things over the various subject matters. Others in this field consider these authors to be an expert of the subject matter. The most appropriate criteria by which to judge the book are the

collections of the information on the subject matter, the arrangement of the contents, relevant forms, commentary etc.

The authors have well defined the problem, identified causes, planned points of attack, provided necessary background information, and offered specific solutions. As name suggests, this book is an exhaustive, critical and eventual commentary, digest, reference book and text book on the subject matter of RTI. This book covers freedom of information in general, evolution of the Right to Information in national and global perspective, Central and State rules on right to information, other related laws. It provides analysis and explanatory notes on various Sections along with case laws. This effort is to make a reader in a position to grasp the ingredients of various sections. This book has been written in view the requirements and needs of citizens seeking information from various public authorities. This will also be useful to the practicing lawyers, judicial officers, civil servants and various officers of public authorities. Summary: The title of the book explains the subject matter of Right to Information Act, 2005. The main objective of this handbook is to provide basic information to the citizens of India to build awareness of RTI, Act 2005. the contents of the book includes the RTI Act 2005, Central Rules under the RTI Act 2005, State rules under the RTI Act 2005, Supreme Court on RTI, others law, International covenants on Civil and political rights, Guidelines on Right to Knowledge, Handbook for public authorities, Specimen forms under the RTI Act 2005 and decisions of Information Commissions. The book is intended for various users which includes both public authority and public at large. Particularly this book is intended to comment and digest on the RTI Act, 2005. Its only the information disclosure by the system by which the

citizen may analyse, assess, and watch the working and the functioning of the government plannings. This book has been written in view the requirements and needs of citizens seeking information from various public authorities. It provides a golden opportunity to India to take a major step towards more accountable and transparent government. The effective operation of any representative democracy depends on its people being able to scrutinize, discuss and contribute to government decision making. Public bodies are under an obligation to proactively publish the key categories of the information, even in absence of the request.

Critical Analysis: I learned from the book, the interpretation of the various section of the Act. There are various case studies and useful remarks, flow charts etc which certainly help any reader to develop their interest in the subject matter of RTI. I would say the book has achieved its goal to educate its reader for the purpose of RTI matters. It provides what information may come under the purview of RTI and what are not. During the information seeker survey, it was also highlighted than more than 75% of the citizens are dissatisfied with the quality of information being provided. Regarding my personal experiences in the subject matter I found the concerned officer are reluctant to accept the application for RTI, also many times it is very difficult to find out in whose favour fee need to be remitted, time taken in the process of appeal is frustrating. Particularly regarding the case of Treesa Irish, I am not convinced that there is no public interest and if copy of the appellants answer sheet provided to the candidate than it would compromise the fairness and impartiality of the selection process. Might be to prove the quality or standard of the examining process of the institution it provides marginal marks intentionally to majority of the candidates.

Conclusion: This book reflects the vast practical experience of the authors and the enrichment of the global matter on the subject matter. I would like to recommend this book to my entire friend and any person who have any interest in the subject matter. The book successfully explain how the right to freedom of information make life better as it will help citizens to live in a less corrupt society, society that is free from hunger, healthier society, society where the environment is respected, to make sure that fundamental human rights are respected, privacy is respected, political system in the country more democratic, government more efficient, lead to better decisionmaking, economy to be more efficient, lead to individuals receiving better treatment from institutions etc. There have been many discussions and debates about the effectiveness and impact of the Act. The Civil Society Organizations and Government agencies have been engaging themselves in the debate over various aspects of the Act and its effectiveness and interpretations. There is a broad consensus that the implementation of the Act needs to be improved to achieve the objectives. Pankaj7379@yahoo.com