Anna Hazare firm on July 5 hunger strike; CIC says another round of talks likely

Pune: Veteran social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday reiterated that he will proceed with his proposed indefinite hunger strike from July 5 if the state government does not withdraw the recently notified Right to Information (RTI) rules.Hazare made the announcement after a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Rahul Pande and senior officials of the State Information Commission to discuss concerns over the new RTI rules.“Ensuring the interest of common people is the responsibility of the government.

If the government gives priority to its own interest, it will not be accepted.There will be one more round of meeting with the government, but if no solution is found in that meeting also, I will go ahead with the indefinite hunger strike from July 5,” Hazare said.Pande said the discussion focused on strengthening implementation of the RTI Act and making the transparency regime more citizen-friendly through greater proactive disclosure of information under Section 4(1) of the Act.Senior Information Commissioners Makrand Ranade and Prakash Indalkar also attended the meeting and briefed Hazare on RTI filing and disposal statistics.“Today we met Anna Hazare and held extensive discussion on effective implementation of the RTI Act in the state.

The focus was on making the RTI regime more people-friendly through maximum suo motu disclosure under Section 4(1).

The recently notified RTI rules were also discussed and Anna underlined the importance of proactive disclosure and demanded that implementation of the rules be put on hold.

If required, we will meet him again,” Pande said.According to Pande, Hazare's team has proposed forming a committee and holding further discussions on the issue.Meanwhile, RTI activists urged the government and the State Information Commission to first address shortcomings in implementation of the RTI Act before raising concerns over its alleged misuse.Activist Vijay Kumbhar said discussions on bulk RTI applications and the burden on officials were welcome, but authorities must first fulfil their own legal obligations.He pointed out that Section 4, considered the “heart” of the RTI Act, mandates proactive disclosure of information by government departments.The activists questioned whether departments were complying with Section 4 requirements and highlighted issues such as incomplete or misleading replies by Public Information Officers, misuse of exemptions, delays in providing information within the statutory 30-day period, and prolonged pendency of appeals before the Information Commission.They also flagged the failure of several departments to place mandatory information on their websites, forcing citizens to seek even basic details through RTI applications.Other concerns included reluctance to accept applications, failure to transfer requests to the appropriate authority, demands for excessive fees, outdated websites and inadequate RTI training for officials.The activists further alleged that applicants seeking information related to corruption or irregularities often face intimidation, harassment and social pressure.They also questioned why penalties are rarely imposed on officials who delay or deny information despite provisions in the Act.“Before discussing the use or misuse of RTI by citizens, the government and the Information Commission must undertake an honest review of their own responsibilities.

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