Monday, October 31, 2016

History of Development of RTI movement in India

History of Development of RTI movement in India

1975
Supreme Court ruling in the case of State of UP vs Raj Narain talks about people’s right to know.
1982
Supreme Court ruling in the case S.P. Gupta & others vs The President of India & others talks about openness in government
1985
Affidavit filed by NGO Kalpavriksh in Supreme Court regarding the public’s right to know.
1986
Supreme Court in the case of Bombay Environmental Action Group v. Pune Cantonment Board gives right to inspect local authority documents to concerned citizens and groups.
1990
V.P.Singh government proposes to amend the Official Secrets Act and increase access to information.
1993
Draft RTI law proposed by the Consumer Education and Research Council, Ahmedabad.
1994
First MKSS led jan sunwai held in Rajasthan.
1995
First mass meeting organised in Beawar, Rajasthan by MKSS activists; Demand for a Right to Information articulated.
1996
Second mass dharna organised by MKSS at Beawar, Rajasthan, demanding a Right to Information; Formation of NCPRI; Conference of Chief Secretaries talks about a Right to Information Act.
1996
Workshop on Right to Information held at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie.
1996
Press Council drafts  RTI National Bill with NCPRI and circulated it to PM, all parliament members, CMs and legislators.
1996   
Tamil Nadu passes its legislation (April, 1996)
1997
“Working Group on Right to Information and Promotion of Open and Transparent Government” formed under H.D. Shourie
1997     
Goa (29th October, 1997) enacts RTI legislations
1998
Ram Jethmalani, then Minister for Urban Affairs and Employment, passes executive orders providing access to government documents in his Ministry to the general public, which is shot down by the PM.
1998
Madhya Pradesh passes its legislation (30th April, 1998).
2000
Karnataka (10th December 2000), Maharashtra (18th July, 2000) and Rajasthan (11th May, 2000) enact RTI legislations
2001
Delhi enacts RTI legislation (16th May, 2001)
2002
Freedom of Information bill passed by Parliament which was never notified.
2002 
 Assam enacts RTI legislation (7th May, 2002)
2003
Jammu and Kashmir  enacts RTI legislations (18th December, 2003)
2004   
UPA government sworn in; National Advisory Council formed; Right to Information Bill introduced in Parliament , fulfilling a promise made under the National Common Minimum Programme. FOI Act repealed.
2005
Right to Information Act 2005 is passed by Parliament in May 2005 and notified , comes into force on 12 October 2005



The time line has been prepared by Prashant Sharma, as part of his PhD research on the Right to Information, at the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

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