Invoking Gandhi, Goa governor finally brings Raj Bhavan under RTI ambit

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy of ranking people as supreme in a democracy, Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai on Friday said that the Raj Bhavan would henceforth come under the ambit of the Right to Information Act (RTI).

Pillai made the announcement at a public function at the Raj Bhavan, while adding that he would not like to blame past Governors for opposing moves to bring the gubernatorial office under the RTI ambit.

“I would like to publicly declare my policy that Governors are bound to furnish information to the people and people are supreme,” Pillai said.

“I do not want to blame anybody, but hereafter RTI with respect to Raj Bhavan will be available for all the citizens,” he said.

The controversy over bringing the Raj Bhavan under the ambit of the RTI first started in 2011, when the Goa State Information Commission while passing an order after a petition had directed the office of the Governor was a “public authority” and hence came under the ambit of the RTI Act.

The Raj Bhavan had filed an appeal against the Commission’s order in the Bombay High Court, which in 2011, had also affirmed the Commission’s order.

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The Raj Bhavan had appealed against the High Court order in the Supreme Court of India.

Pillai, a senior counsel in the Kerala High Court, said that he made the decision after he perused through legal files pending before his office, soon after he took over as Governor of Goa three months back.

“I had occasion to see one or two files related to the Right of Information and other concerned cases,” Pillai said.

In his speech at the public function, Pillai also quoted Mahatma Gandhi on numerous occasions, underlining the Father of the Nation’s belief that the real power in a democracy rested with the people of the country.

“The basis of democracy is that people are (more) supreme than the Governor, Chief Minister, Opposition leader... all are expected to serve the people. They are not the boss of the people,” Pillai said.

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