Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) should take some corrective measures by making it mandatory to submit some identity-proof with every RTI petition to effectively check filing of RTI petitions with fake names and addresses.
REPORTS ARE are there that some insiders in public-authorities are filing fake RTI petitions in their own departments under fictitious names and addresses to harass staff of their own office against whom they have enmity.
Such petitions seek information about office-staff just to create suspicion by putting RTI enquiries through fake petitions. Insiders filing such fake RTI petitions keep vigil on movement of files on their filed petitions, and are not bothered if RTI response comes back undelivered because of fake name and address.Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) should take some corrective measures by making it mandatory to submit some identity-proof with every RTI petition to effectively check filing of RTI petitions with fake names and addresses. Not only a circular should be issued to this effect, but requirement of identity-proof for RTI petitions should also be widely publicised through media-advertisements well before implementation of any such system.
It is very important to ensure that RTI act is not misused by people to settle personal scores. Otherwise the importance of this instrument as a tool for public good would be lost forever and as such government should act quickly in this regard.
.Recently we all came across a shocking news about murder of a RTI activist in Gujrat , the phenomenon is neither new nor unexpected considering poor rate of conviction and in place safety measure for witnesses and whistle blowers. The easiest way to counter an allegation is to remove the person pointing a finger on you. Due to involvement of huge amount of money and nexus between political hand and govt machinery the cases pertaining to murder/kidnapping of social activists and whistle blowers is almost always burried deep.
RTI has given a new relief for numerous whistle blowers in India in which considering danger of life you can put up a complain/inquiry anonymously.
A whistle blower is very precious element in unearthing scams in government departments , the unearthing of a scam is always welcome even on cost of unearthing due to personal enmity between colleagues.
If it becomes necessary to disclose genuine name and address of RTI activist the popular RTI activity would loose its very purpose.
In my view a system may be worked out whereby undelivered or fake address RTI requests may be opened by a commission after expiry of some time frame say after 90 days.
Benefit of useful programs must not be denied if some persons misuse it .