The Right to Information Act 2005

The Right to Information Act, 2005 is a landmark in the history of independent India. It serves as a tool in the hands of citizens with which they can ensure transparency and good governance. It gives Indian citizens access to records of central government and state governments as well as private institutions, including colleges. It promises to be a single piece of legislation that can result in the victory of participatory democracy.

The Right to Information Act, 2005 fulfils necessity of the present epoch, of preserving the paramountcy of democratic ideal over dissipating forces, being felt since 1970s. All polities of the world within their distinctive pattern have felt for new or increased participation of people in maintaining democracy, which, these days, is plagued by official secrecy and resulting corruption to a point of its general breakdown. The Indian RTI Act, 2005 and its predecessor Freedom of Information Act, 2002 are the result of a peoples movement supported by elected legislature that reflects distrust of the official secrecy system and prevailing administrative corruption marked by sitting on files on the pretext of maintaining official secrecy. The Indian experiment is an advanced step in this direction since RTI Act creates a legal obligation on all authoritiesexecutive, legislative and judicialto provide sincere and correct information to people in the format in which applicants want it, within a time frame, or suffer punishment for the lapse.

The book The Right to Information Act, 2005 offers a comprehensive study on the Right to Information giving all necessary details. It is divided into six parts. Each part provides information on different issues directly or indirectly related to this Act.

This book will be of immense help to common readers, in general, and lawyers, NGOs, students and teachers of law and all those interested in the subject, in particular. It will create an awareness among the citizens about their rights.

U.N. Gupta, LL.M., D.Phil., has been Vice Chancellor of the Allahabad University. Earlier, he was Professor of Law, Head of Law Department and Dean of Law Faculty in the Allahabad University. Specialized in Constitutional Law and Public International Law, he has authored six books: (i) Constitutional Protection of Personal Liberty in India, 1969; (ii) Developments on the Frontiers of International Law, 1981; (iii) Indian Federalism and Unity of Nation, 1986; (iv) Indian Parliamentary Democracy, 2003; (v) The Human Rights: Conventions and Indian Law, 2004; and (vi) The Law of the Sea, 2005. In addition, he has to his credit, publication of scores of research papers.