Deepa Das Munshi, a prominent All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary, strongly criticized the Modi government on Sunday, alleging it has deliberately undermined the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Speaking at a press conference, she highlighted how a 2019 amendment stripped Information Commissioners of their previously fixed five-year terms and assured service conditions, effectively seizing their independent authority.
Ms. Munshi elaborated on her concerns, pointing to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. She argued that its broad definition of personal information, coupled with a clause preventing disclosure even when there’s a clear public interest, fundamentally compromises the RTI Act’s core purpose. Furthermore, she highlighted the alarming state of the Central Information Commission, which operates with only two members instead of its mandated eleven due to unaddressed vacancies. The critical position of Chief Information Commissioner, she noted, has also remained unfilled since September 2025. This issue, she added, is mirrored across many Indian states, leading to a backlog of approximately 23,000 cases in the Central Information Commission alone. As examples of denied public information, Ms. Munshi cited requests regarding the expenditures on the Prime Minister’s international travel, details surrounding deaths attributed to oxygen shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the PM Cares Fund was utilized.
The AICC general secretary also extended her criticism to the Kerala government, accusing it of implementing measures that diminish the RTI Act’s effectiveness. Specifically, she mentioned instances where the state government withheld crucial information concerning police operations, including details on custodial deaths.