Congress Demands RTI Restoration: Cites Pending Cases and Data Denials

The Congress party is calling for the repeal of 2019 amendments to the Right to Information (RTI) Act and a review of Section 44(3) of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, which they believe weakens the RTI’s objectives. The party highlighted the critical situation at the Central Information Commission, with only two commissioners operational against eleven sanctioned posts and approximately 23,000 cases pending. They revealed that information requests regarding PM’s foreign tours, COVID-19 death tolls, and PM Cares Fund usage have been denied, with even electoral bond data initially withheld before a Supreme Court order.