2005, Right to Information Act gets 1st applicant

Right to Information Act gets 1st applicant
- By Urvashi Kaul

New Delhi, Oct. 3: While the citizens of India are waiting for October 12 to spam the system to request for information using the Right to Information Act 2005, which officially comes in to force from that day, there already seems to be a request for information filed with the Department of Information Technology, due to a "tricky loophole" that the applicant citizen has pointed out.

Official sources said that this is the first request for information under the Right to Information Act 2005.

The application requests for information pertaining to amendments to the Information Technology Act under this Act.

The request, under the said Act, a copy of which lies with this newspaper, points out that as per Section 1(3) certain provisions, particularly Sections 5(1) and 5 (2) of the Act, have long been in force. The letter further says that "these sections provide for mandatory designation of information officers within the department to receive the requests for information from applicants within 100 days of the Act coming into force."

Mr Sarbajit Roy, who requested for information under this Act, wanted to know "whether a cyber regulation advisory committee has formally considered and submitted any advice and/or recommendations concerning amendments to the Information Technology Act 2000 and the other specifics related to it."

The Act was passed in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority.

The Right to Information Act, 2005, received the assent of the President on June 15, 2005, and was accordingly published on June 21, 2005.

The Act provides for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities. Under the Act the department must expeditiously provide information.

The maximum time limit is 30 days from the receipt of the request.

Trackback : From Asian Age, New Delhi, 3, October 2005
first request for information under Right to Information Act 2005

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The info I seek from DoIT is as follows:-

1) Please inform me if the Cyber Regulation Advisory Committee has
formally considered and submitted any advice and/or recommendations
concerning amendments to the Information Technology Act 2000. If so,
please list out, and well specify, the dates / reference numbers of
such advice(s) / recommendations.

2) I wish to inspect (and take notes from) all records and/or recorded
deliberations of proceedings, materials, representations to,
submissions to/of, documents, information etc. considered from time to
time by the Cyber Regulation Advisory Committee concerning amendments
to the Information Technology Act 2000.

3) Likewise (to para 2 above), I wish to inspect all similar records,
information(s), opinions, materials, file notings etc. concerning the
Expert Committee(s), in any, formed to examine amendments to the
Information Technology Act 2000.
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Title: First Applicant under Right to Information Act 2005, India, Request for information under RTI India.