Context:

• As India marked 20 years of the Right to Information (RTI) Act (2005) on October 12, 2025, the town of Beawar, Rajasthan, celebrated 30 years of its people’s struggle that gave birth to one of the most empowering democratic legislations in India.
• Yet, this anniversary coincided with growing apprehension over the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), 2023, which threatens to undermine the spirit and effectiveness of the RTI Act.

Beawar - The Birthplace of India’s Transparency Movement:

• Genesis of the RTI movement:
  • The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) in Beawar (became a district in 2023) spearheaded the demand for transparency in governance in the 1990s.
  • In 1996, citizens gathered at Chang Gate, Beawar, demanding access to information on public expenditure — a moment that catalysed India’s RTI revolution.
• Commemorating a democratic milestone:
  • Beawar now calls itself “RTI City”.
  • To honour its role, the municipality has resolved to build a memorial and RTI Museum at Chang Gate.
  • The museum will document people’s participation in governance and serve as a hub for democratic education.
  • The first RTI Mela, organised by MKSS and the School for Democracy, aims to institutionalise transparency as a cultural ethos.

RTI - A Pillar of Participatory Democracy Empowering Citizens:

• The RTI Act, 2005, transformed governance by shifting power from bureaucracy to the citizenry.
• It operationalised the “Right to Know” as an extension of the Right to Life (Article 21).
• The law’s Section 8(1)(j) balanced the right to privacy with public interest, ensuring that personal information related to public duty could not be withheld.
• Importantly, it equated citizen and legislator rights: “Information that cannot be denied to Parliament or a State Legislature shall not be denied to any citizen.”

DPDPA 2023 - A Reversal of Transparency Gains:

• Section 44(3) – The core threat:
  • The Act amends Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, creating a blanket exemption for “personal information”.
  • It removes the qualifier of public interest and shifts the discretion to disclose information entirely to the government.
  • The public-interest override (Section 8(2)) becomes redundant, undermining the citizen’s right to accountability.
• Erosion of democratic equality:
  • The deletion of the clause equating citizen and legislator rights dismantles the egalitarian foundation of the RTI Act.
  • The DPDPA also imposes draconian penalties (up to ₹250 crore) for disclosure without consent — a chilling effect on journalists, researchers, and activists.
• The “Empty Vessel” analogy:
  • Activists in Beawar liken the situation to a vessel once filled with information, now left empty after the government “made a hole at the bottom” through the DPDPA.
  • The RTI’s form remains, but its substance and power have been drained.

Public and Civil Society Response:

• Widespread opposition:
  • Over 150 MPs, 2,500 journalists, 22 national journalist associations, and numerous civil society groups have raised objections.
  • Despite this, the government has not engaged in transparent consultation or public debate on the implications of the amendment.
• Continuing the people’s struggle:
  • Citizens of Beawar and the RTI movement vow to keep the spirit of accountability
  • The upcoming RTI Museum will stand not as a tomb of a dead law, but as a living memorial of democratic resistance.

Way Forward:

• Restoring balance between privacy and transparency: Introduce a clear definition of “personal information” that protects privacy without shielding corruption.
• Strengthen independent oversight: Empower the Central and State Information Commissions to interpret and apply the “public interest override” autonomously.
• Institutionalise transparency education: Promote awareness through RTI Melas, public campaigns, and inclusion in curricula to nurture democratic citizenship.
• Legislative review and public consultation: Revisit the DPDPA provisions through parliamentary committees and stakeholder engagement.
• Leverage digital governance for transparency: Ensure digital data protection and open data coexist, through privacy-by-design and public disclosure protocols.

Conclusion:

• Beawar’s journey reflects the people’s determination to democratise governance and claim their constitutional right to know.
• The DPDPA threatens to reverse two decades of progress, replacing openness with opacity.
• Yet, as Beawar reminds us, laws may be weakened, but movements cannot be silenced.
• The defence of transparency and accountability is, ultimately, the defence of Indian democracy