Our Money… Our Accounts” — The People’s Movement Behind the Right to Information Act, 2005
The movement that began with the slogan “Hamara Paisa… Hamara Hisaab” (Our Money… Our Accounts), demanding access to information held by the then Government of Rajasthan, eventually evolved into the Right to Information Act, 2005.
The Right to Information Act, introduced in 2005, gradually grew in strength and impact. Over the past 21 years, applications filed by ordinary citizens have helped expose corruption, irregularities and financial misconduct involving thousands and even lakhs of crores of rupees. It would not be an exaggeration to say that ordinary citizens have played the central role in this investigation and transparency movement.
Poor persons:
Persons belonging to economically weaker sections, upon producing the prescribed identification/proof, may submit RTI applications without paying the application fee, wherever such fee exemption is applicable under the relevant rules.
Other applicants:
Other applicants can submit an RTI application by paying the prescribed Rs.10 application fee, through modes such as a Court Fee Stamp, Indian Postal Order, cash challan, Demand Draft or other permitted payment methods, as applicable under the relevant rules.
Submitting the application:
The completed application may be submitted personally at the concerned government office and an acknowledgment should be obtained on a photocopy of the application. Alternatively, it may be sent by Speed Post, and the postal receipt should be preserved as proof of submission.
Time limit for providing information:
The Public Information Officer (PIO) who receives the application is required to provide the information within 30 days. Where the information sought concerns the life or liberty of a person, it is required to be provided within 48 hours, as provided under the RTI Act, 2005.
First Appeal:
If the PIO fails to provide the information within 30 days, or within 48 hours in matters concerning life or liberty, the applicant may file a First Appeal before the designated First Appellate Authority, generally the senior officer within the concerned public authority. The appellate authority is required to dispose of the appeal within the prescribed period, ordinarily within 30 days and, for reasons to be recorded in writing, not exceeding 45 days.
Second Appeal:
If the applicant is not satisfied with the decision of the First Appellate Authority, or if the authority fails to provide relief, a Second Appeal may be filed before the concerned Information Commission under the RTI Act.
When Parliament passed the Right to Information Act on 15 June 2005, the political establishment may have assumed that it would become merely another law among the thousands of Central laws in the country, with limited practical impact. However, once the RTI Act reached the hands of ordinary citizens, it became a powerful instrument for exposing corruption, irregularities and misuse of public resources—something its critics may not have anticipated.
From its early years, the law established its significance by becoming a powerful tool in the hands of citizens to uncover alleged corruption and financial irregularities involving thousands and lakhs of crores of rupees.
Among the major controversies and alleged scams associated with the period of UPA-I and UPA-II (2004–2014), several cases received widespread public attention, including the Adarsh Housing Society controversy in Maharashtra, Common Wealth Games and the 2G spectrum controversy involving allocation issues in Delhi and across the country.
These episodes demonstrated how access to government records and information could enable citizens, journalists and civil society organisations to scrutinise decisions involving public money and demand greater accountability from those in power.
Note: Are you interested in filing an RTI application on the above issue? Interested citizens may send their details to our official email: gsrao@way2rti.com
