New Delhi, February 22 – Accusing the Union government of weakening the transparency law, Abhishek Singhvi, Chairman of the AICC’s Law, Human Rights, and RTI Department, proposed a national conclave on the Right to Information (RTI) law, among other steps, to revitalize the existing legal network.
"Our aim is to restore the original form and strength of the RTI. Alongside legal steps, we also propose a national conclave, where former officials, RTI activists, social workers, journalists, and policy experts will come together for meaningful discussions," he said at a press conference.
He added that the conclave will culminate in the preparation of a comprehensive report outlining findings and recommendations.
"This report will be released to the public and widely shared with stakeholders, legislators, and citizens," he said.
Alleging that the RTI law "is being chipped away, piece by piece, by this regime", Singhvi said, "The RTI Act had ushered in a new direction for transparency in the country, but today it is being gradually weakened. When accountability is impacted, it becomes essential to have a robust and structured national dialogue on this issue."
The AICC Law Department announced four new programmes to further engagement with young counsels, to revitalize formerly existing legal networks, and to offer a platform for those speaking out against the dilution of the landmark RTI Act.
The initiatives include: Legal Fellows Programme; Law Human Rights and RTI Department Podcast series; Rapid Response Force and National Conclave to Reclaim the Right to Information (RTI) Act, a statement said.
Singhvi said the revolutionary transparency law was enacted by the Congress, but it has continued to be weakened by the Union government through suppressing information under the guise of data protection provisions.
"The Congress, in association with civil society, is taking legal action – by filing a petition – against the weakening of the RTI law," he said, adding that he will personally appear in court to argue on the matter.
Earlier, senior Congress leader and AICC Treasurer Ajay Maken said the initiatives being proposed by Singhvi and his team are very important for the entire party and its ideology.
He signaled the AICC’s full funding backing for the initiatives suggested by Singhvi.
Singhvi said that as part of the Rapid Response Force, the Congress is preparing a database of lawyers, with the sole guiding mantra: five lawyers in every district should be available to provide legal support to any leader of the party who needs it.
"By deliberate design, this programme seeks to particularly provide active legal support to local leaders present at the ground level, who are most susceptible to threats and intimidation, especially in Opposition-ruled states," he added.
"To this end, we are now preparing a digital directory of the names already received from various states, and we will entrust responsibilities to members of the Rapid Response Force accordingly," he said.
