The Supreme Court has directed the Central Information Commission and the State Information Commissions to ensure proper implementation of provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005 including on proactive disclosure of information by public authorities.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said public accountability is a crucial feature that governs the relationship between ‘duty bearers’ and ‘right holders’.
The top court said power and accountability go hand in hand and noted that while all citizens shall have the ‘right to information’ under Section 3 of the Act, the co-relative ‘duty’ in the form of the obligation of public authorities is recognised in Section 4 of the RTI Act.
