The government appears to have opened a can of worms by bringing an amendment to the RTI Act as several Rights Groups have opposed the amendment vehemently.

When there is no popular government in place in Karnataka, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms brought an amendment to Act on March 17. The amendment says the request for information should relate only to a single subject matter and the question shall not ‘ordinarily’ exceed 150 words.

In case the application wishes to seek information on more than one subject matter, he shall make a separate application. If the request relates to more than one subject matter, the public information officer may respond to the request relating to the first subject matter only and “may advise the applicant to make separate application for each of the other subject matters,” says the new amendment.

Several RTI activists and rights groups have decided to oppose it. It is learnt members of Kriya Katte, an action forum which has launched an RTI study centre, has decided to complain to AICC president Sonia Gandhi. “It was Sonia Gandhi’s initiative to introduce RTI. So, we have decided to brief her about the undemocratic move of bureaucrats when no popular government is in place,” said Veeresh Bellur, a founder member of Kriya Katte.

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has slammed the move. The media and communications officer of CHRI Aditi Datta said, “This rule places unlawful limitations on citizens’ fundamental right to information and leaves for enormous misuse.”

Along with it, Mahiti Hakku Jagruthi Vedike too has criticised the move saying this is only to prevent people from seeking information and expose corruption in government departments.