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 FOI Act repealed.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.