Kamal Haasan urges Centre not to dilute RTI Act
The Hindu
Draft of Digital Personal Data Protection Bill proposes unwarranted amendment, he says
Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan has written to Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, expressing his concern over certain provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022. He said any dilution of the Right to Information Act, 2005, should be prevented.
In his letter dated December 16, Mr. Haasan said Clause 30 (2) of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, proposes a dangerous and unwarranted amendment to Section 8 (1)(J) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
“Section 8 (1) (J) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, allows public information officers to deny requests for personal information that have no connection to public activity and which can cause unwarranted invasion of privacy unless the applicant can demonstrate that a larger public interest justified the disclosure of such information,” said Mr. Haasan.
He added that the particular section includes a special proviso (information, which cannot be denied to Parliament or a State Legislature, shall not be denied to any person) to help an officer, information commission or a judge to arrive at the right decision.
“The current draft of the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, takes away this balancing test enshrined within the Right to Information Act, 2005, thereby rendering it toothless. Under Clause 30 (2) of the Digital Protection Bill, 2022, personal information will be totally exempt from disclosure. The bill further deletes the proviso accompanying the section of the RTI Act, 2005,” he wrote.
Mr. Haasan also said that the draft bill is only available in English and said that it is critically important that it is published in regional languages to allow for healthy consultative feedback.