Repeal Sec 44 (3) of Data Act as it destroys RTI Act: Jairam Ramesh's Letter to I&B Min Ashwini Vaishnaw

New Delhi: Congress parliamentarian Jairam Ramesh on Sunday wrote to information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging him to "pause, review and repeal" Section 44 (3) of the Data Protection Act, 2023, claiming that otherwise it would eliminate the proviso in Section 8 (1) of the Right To Information Act (RTI), 2005, which gives citizens equal right to information as legislators who represent them.

Pointing out that Section 44 (3) of the Data Protection Act, 2023, states that "In section 8 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, in sub-section (1), for clause (j), 2005, the following clause shall be substituted, namely, (j) information which relates to personal information", Ramesh argued that "the implications of this on Section 8 (1) (j) of the RTI Act, 2005, are that almost everything in it gets deleted."

Maintaining that proviso in Section 8 (1) of the RTI Act, 2005, that gives citizens equal right to information as legislators who represent them is eliminated, Ramesh told Vaishnaw : "The existing Section 8 (1) (6) of the RTI Act, 2005, had enough guardrails to protect unwarranted invasion of privacy. In the interests of transparency and accountability, I would urge you to pause, review and repeal Section 44 (3) of the Data Protection Act, 2023, which destroys the RTI ACT, 2005."