The letter which was submitted late last night received prompt action as the ministry extended the deadline of the draft bill making it a small but significant step in protecting the democracy of our great country.
On November 18, 2022 ministry of Electronics and Informational Technology published the draft bill for processing digital personal data, the proposed bill seeked to amend key provisions of the RTI act which is one of the pillars of a healthy and well functioning democracy.
Kamal Haasan pointed out that Clause 30 (2) of the aforementioned bill may dangerously impact and amend the section 8 (1) (j) of the RTI act which in essence allows public information officers to deny a RTI query if he/she believes it is an invasion of privacy unless the applicant can prove that the query is in the interest of the public. The letter also highlighted the inadequate measures undertaken in receiving feedback from public regarding the digital personal data protection bill 2022. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology stated that the feedback/submissions will not be disclosed to the public.
The Parliament of India empowered the public information officer to conduct a balancing test between the privacy of an individual and the public's right to have access to the information in the larger public interest and the Digital Personal Data Protection bill takes away this balancing test, thereby making the RTI act toothless as its Clause 30 (2) exempts disclosure completely.
Furthermore, Kamal Haasan’s letter also addressed the issue of the Bill being available in English only while a vast majority of Indians do not speak or understand the language fluently. The actor urged the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to make the bill available in other regional languages including Hindi which will enable healthy feedback from the citizens of the country. He further added that the Ministry has only allowed feedback from MyGov website while there are many in India that do not have access to the Internet.
MNM under the leadership of Kamal Haasan has been conducting RTI training camps for its party members and the public at large. Kamal Haasan is of the firm opinion that RTI Act is a critical tool in empowering the citizens in holding those in power accountable. Sources within the party have informed that the party and Kamal Haasan will staunchly oppose any dilution of the act and will explore all political and legal options in ensuring that RTI Act continues to be a tool of accountability and ensuring good governance for the people of India.
