For 20 years, India’s Right to Information (RTI) Act has been one of the most powerful tools for citizens to expose corruption, demand accountability, and strengthen democracy. From uncovering massive scams like the Electoral Bonds Scam, Adarsh Housing Society Scam and Vyapam, to empowering people to seek accountability in the delivery of basic services and entitlements, the transparency law has enabled people to hold the powerful to account.

But two decades later, this landmark law faces many challenges – political pushback, weakened institutions, and amendments to dilute its power. The deliberate failure to fill vacancies in the Central and State Information Commissions (CIC/SIC) is leading to large backlogs of cases and long delays of more than 1 year in the disposal of appeals and complaints.

Through the 2019 amendments, the government diluted the autonomy and independence of commissions making them susceptible to political pressure. The amendments made in 2023 through the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, seek to exempt all personal information from disclosure- effectively shielding corrupt officials and contractors from public scrutiny. Even those using the law have been targeted – more than 100 whistleblowers who exposed corruption and wrong-doing using the RTI Act have been killed.

The government has evaded accountability by asserting that instruments like PM CARES do not fall within the ambit of the RTI Act and there is "No Data Available" on critical matters of public interest.

Transparency activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri discuss the powerful use of the RTI Act in India in the last 20 years and how the law is being undermined on this edition of Jaanne Bhi Do Yaaro on The Wire.

In the video, the discussion centres around how the RTI Act has been powerfully used by people — and why the government fears it. It also highlights how the RTI is a person's shield against petty corruption. If a person is being asked to pay a bribe to get passport/ driving license application processed one can say no to paying a bribe and use the RTI Act to fix accountability.

Protecting people’s right to know matters now more than ever – RTI keeps power accountable and democracy alive. The right to information is not merely a legal entitlement – it is the foundation of democratic accountability.

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