RTI Activists have to Protect themselves as the Government is there to protect the goons only

Chavan: No move to frame law to protect RTI activists

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Chavan--No-move-to-frame-law-to-protect-RTI-activists/653640

Krishnadas Rajagopal
Tags : RTI activist Amit Jethava, Gujarat High Court

Posted: Fri Jul 30 2010, 00:54 hrs

Almost a week after RTI activist Amit Jethava was shot dead near the
Gujarat High Court, the minister-in-charge of RTI Act on Thursday
denied any move to frame a law to protect RTI activists while the
Central Information Commissioner said it was the "job of the police"
to protect them.

"There is no proposal before the government to frame a specific law to
protect RTI activists," Minister of State for Public Grievances
Prithviraj Chavan said in his written reply before the Rajya Sabha.
Chavan was replying to a question by V Hanumantha Rao as to when "a
specific law will be put in place to protect RTI activists".

The minister said violence against activists, "when reported", was
investigated by the local police. "There have been reports in the
media, and the government has been informed about increased threat to
RTI activists. Such incidents, when reported, are investigated by the
local police," he said.

Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah echoed Chavan's
views, saying it was the "job of the police" to protect RTI activists
and the information commissions had no "legal authority" to do so.
"The threat has now started emerging, society has to start thinking of
measures to protect itself," Habibullah told The Indian Express.

However, he said the Central Information Commission would surely
intervene if RTI activists facing threats approached it. "A certain
weightage is attached to the Information Commission. We will caution
the government against vested interests who threaten RTI activists.
These vested interests will think twice then," he added.

Jethava, who was campaigning against illegal mining in Gir Sanctuary
areas, was shot dead on July 20.

Meanwhile, Chavan said in the same reply that a new Bill to protect
whistle-blowers was nearing finalisation. The draft of the Public
Interest Disclosure (Protection of Informers) Bill, 2009, intends to
designate the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) as the nodal
authority to which complaints against any central government employee
or central government-backed institution would be made. The CVC would
exercise the powers of a civil court, including powers to summon
anybody, order police probe and provide security to the
whistle-blower.

--
Urvashi Sharma

RTI Helpmail( Web Based )
aishwaryaj2010@gmail.com

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