Who gets to control the truth?

In 1996, the townspeople of Beawar, along with activists from MKSS (Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan), arrived at the Chang Gate to begin their 40-day peaceful protest. Threadbare carpets were laid on the ground, and makeshift tents were put up. “We couldn’t afford quality tents, so when it would rain, the water would drench us.” Recalls Aruna Roy, one of the founding members of MKSS and a leading figure in the RTI (Right to Information) movement, who goes on to stress how this sit-in was a landmark protest. Sparked by exposed corruption and a broken government promise to enact a Right to Information law, what made this demonstration unique was that its participants, who were predominantly poor and rural, demanded transparency and information rather than immediate material necessities. 

This historic sit-in became the basis for one of the most radical acts to be included in the Indian constitution, the Right to Information Act (RTI), which came into being in 2005, almost ten years after the movement was first started. Since then, RTI has enabled the process of transparency, allowing people to ask basic, but important, questions from the authorities: Why is the road in my town unpaved? Why does the government-run ration shop in my village always run out of stock? Who is responsible for clean water in my area? Some questions run deep and urgent: If mining in my town is illegal, then why did a company win a tender and begin operations? 

The purpose of such inquiries is to ensure that the authorities are answerable to the public, that programs, such as pension schemes, are implemented fairly, and to provide a clear picture of what is going on within the government and how it affects the public. In this way, RTI put the power back in the hands of the people.

RTI Mela 2025

In 2023, the town of Beawar was officially recognised by the government as a new district within the state of Rajasthan. A year later, on 20 October 2024, the foundation stone was laid for the establishment of the RTI Museum – run by MKSS affiliate, School of Democracy – which will not only serve as an archive of the agitation and contain the audiovisual documentation of the movement, but also hold workshops and training for people. 

A glimpse towards this effort could be seen in the RTI Mela (RTI Fair), organised by MKSS and their partner organisations, on 12 October, on the ground that would house the museum. Several workshops were held in stalls, offering layered perspectives on the uses of the RTI Act, informing people about its success stories and distributing books and pamphlets in multiple languages. The workshops also featured organisations from around India who are simplifying the process of filing an RTI so that many more people utilise it. Among them, RTIOnline has designed an AI chat box, RTImitra, where people need only enter the details of the information they seek, and it produces an entire appeal, ready for submission. Another, YouRTI is a website that allows users to submit appeals anonymously. Significantly, despite the attendance of urban folks, the Mela primarily focused on educating the rural populace living in and around Beawar, making sure the instructions of the workshops were linguistically accessible. 

One particular workshop focused on whistleblowers, the risks of unmasking governmental policies that don’t benefit the people, and how RTI activists have paid a heavy price for speaking up, where many have faced violence, some lost their lives or were forcibly disappeared. One of the activists leading this workshop was Kong Agnes from the northeastern state of Meghalaya, who was left in critical condition after being brutally attacked by a mob. The assault occurred shortly after she photographed trucks illegally transporting coal in the East Jaintia Hills district, where mining has been banned since 2014. “It is important to protect the people from the government, especially when it comes to land evictions and purposefully destroying the data, through arson, to introduce discrepancies in people’s access to ration cards, hospitals and roads,” she stated. When asked if she ever thought of restricting her work with RTI after the attack, Kong Agnes said no, adding, “They threaten other people who file RTIs and mention [what happened to] me as an example,” signalling the need to keep fighting. 

This fight is even more important today because of the revisions that have been brought in the RTI in the form of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act). Introduced in 2023 as an amendment to Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, this amendment adds a blanket exclusion: personal information can be denied, without reference to whether disclosure serves a larger public interest. 

Therefore, many RTI applications seeking information about public officials, public works, government contracts and tender details and any administrative decisions that involve information such as name + role + salary + contract award, could be denied on the grounds of “personal data” regardless of their public interest. This discourages journalists, RTI activists or whistleblowers from filing requests because authorities might reject them, citing the amended clause. This also makes it harder for citizens to hold public bodies accountable for corruption, misuse of funds, or negligence. 

On the ground, this shift translates into a direct impediment for those who rely on the RTI most. Kathyayani Chumaraj, an RTI activist, says that the RTI Act especially empowers slum residents by unlocking critical information often out of reach for the urban poor. This includes details about ration cards, pension statuses, scholarship applications, and the schedules for essential services like garbage disposal and road repairs.“Thus, its dilution is problematic,” she remarks, adding that it will now grossly hinder her work with the urban poor in Bengaluru.

The question that hung over the Mela is the same one that hung over Chang Gate in 1996: In a democracy, who gets to control the truth? 

The story of the RTI Act has always been a battle between power and the people, and the RTI Mela was a vibrant celebration of that hard-won power. Yet, with the new DPDP Act threatening to silence the very questions that uphold accountability, the legacy of that 40-day sit-in faces its greatest test. Addressing the crowd that gathered at Chang Gate, Nikhil Dey, co-founder of MKSS and an RTI activist, declares, “Andolan toh jaari hai” The agitation continues.

Photo: Tanya Singh