From Right To Information (RTI) To Right To Ignorance: The Fading Spirit Of Accountability

When the Right to Information Act was enacted on October 12, 2005, India took a historic step toward democratic accountability. The law was born from a grassroots movement led by civil society champions like Aruna Roy and the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), who argued that transparency was not a privilege but a citizen’s right. For a while, it worked as intended. Public Information Officers were compelled to release records long buried in bureaucratic vaults, information commissions functioned as independent tribunals, and corruption was exposed across sectors. For millions of Indians, the RTI became the people’s weapon — cheap, quick, and effective.

A Promise Betrayed: The Rise of Apathy and Delay

Two decades later, that optimism has faded. The law, once hailed as India’s “sunshi