Latest news with #MahanteshKoujalagi
Deccan Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Karnataka govt open to reviewing RTI rules amid misuse concerns
The Karnataka government on Tuesday informed the Legislative Assembly that it was open to reviewing rules under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, after MLAs across party lines voiced concerns that the law was being misused by activists to 'harass' and 'blackmail' officials. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil made the statement while replying to a question by Bailhongal Congress MLA Mahantesh Koujalagi, on behalf of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, during the Question Hour. "RTI is a revolutionary legislation by the central government to bring transparency in administration. But, the state government can frame rules under the act. If we come to know about the misuse, we can take action," he said.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Govt open to reviewing RTI rules amid misuse concerns
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Tuesday informed the Legislative Assembly that it was open to reviewing rules under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, after MLAs across party lines voiced concerns that the law was being misused by activists to 'harass' and 'blackmail' officials. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil made the statement while replying to a question by Bailhongal Congress MLA Mahantesh Koujalagi, on behalf of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, during the Question Hour. 'RTI is a revolutionary legislation by the central government to bring transparency in administration. But, the state government can frame rules under the act. If we come to know about the misuse, we can take action,' he said. 'By reviewing the rules, if harassment can be prevented and it will benefit the RTI activists (who are genuine), we can discuss in this regard with the Chief Minister and we can do it... We will think about steps to limit the misuse of RTI.' Raising the issue, Koujalagi said the RTI Act was enacted with good intentions, but was also being misused, and also suggested that the government consider increasing the RTI application fees. 'We see RTI applications being filed through proxies. Repeated applications are filed by some people just to harass officials. The cost per page is fixed at Rs 2, this is causing the problem. For BPL applicants, there is no fee for up to 100 pages. This is leading to a lot of misuse,' he added. In some cases, information spanning 20 years is being sought under the RTI Act, forcing assignment of an official solely to provide details, he said and urged the government to address such issues. In response, Patil said the government has blacklisted 26 RTI activists and noted that State Information Commissioner Ravindra Gurunath Dhakappa was dismissed after being trapped by the Lokayukta. He, however, said no written complaints of harassment were received from officials. He also said the government would consider revising the RTI fees. Intervening, BJP MLA Sunil Kumar said RTI Act was misused by some individuals for personal gain rather than public interest. Bijapur City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal too remarked that RTI has become 'a big business' for some people. 'They blackmail officials, elected representatives and contractors,' he said, urging the government to investigate assets owned by RTI activists, and take action against them. Senior BJP MLA Suresh Kumar said, RTI applicants should have a valid reason to seek information, and this should be considered while framing rules.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Open to review of RTI rules, says Karnataka Govt after legislators allege misuse
With several legislators cutting across party lines alleging misuse of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Karnataka Government said on Tuesday that it was open to reviewing the rules under the Act to prevent harassment and blackmailing of officials. The discussion on the RTI Act followed a question raised in the legislature by Congress MLA Mahantesh Koujalagi, who sought to know whether the Government would initiate action against those misusing the legislation by targeting officials. Responding on behalf of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government can amend rules framed under the Act. 'If we come to know about the misuse, we can take action. If harassment can be prevented by reviewing the rules and if it benefits the genuine RTI activists, we can discuss,' he said, noting that the Government would think about steps to limit the misuse of the RTI Act. Koujalagi suggested the Government hike RTI fees as a measure to curb the misuse, adding that RTI applications were being filed through proxies. 'Multiple applications are filed by some people just to harass officials. The cost per page is fixed at Rs 2. This is causing the problem. For BPL applicants, there is no fee for up to 100 pages. This is leading to a lot of misuse,' he said. Patil noted that the Government had blacklisted 26 RTI activists, apart from dismissing State Information Commissioner Ravindra Gurunath Dhakappa after the Lokayukta arrested him for allegedly taking a bribe from a blacklisted RTI applicant. BJP MLA Sunil Kumar alleged that some activists were not allowing any government work to be carried out. 'They collect the information and share it with the Lokayukta. Even public work is not happening because of these RTI activists. We should make some rules,' he said, suggesting a limit for the number of applications a person can file.
