Two Decades of the RTI Act

Has Transparency Translated into Less Corruption?

On October 12, 2005, India took a historic leap toward open governance with the enactment of the Right to Information (RTI) Act — a legislation born from the conviction that knowledge is power and transparency is the strongest antidote to corruption.

Two decades later, as India marks the 20th anniversary of this landmark law, the celebration is mixed with reflection. How effective has the RTI Act been in transforming India’s governance culture, and more importantly, has it truly reduced corruption?

The Global Barometer: How the World Sees India

Transparency International, a global watchdog that ranks countries on perceived corruption, offers a sobering perspective. India’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score stands at 38 out of 100, ranking 96th among 180 nations. What’s striking is that this score is almost unchanged from 2014, despite several governance reforms and digital initiatives.

Source: www.transparency.org/en/countries/india

After a brief improvement to 41 during 2018–2019, the score has declined again, suggesting that while local transparency may have improved through RTI, broader systemic change has been elusive. The world, it seems, continues to view India’s public sector integrity with cautious skepticism.

The Origins: From Villages to Parliament

The RTI Act did not emerge from bureaucratic deliberation but from a people’s movement. Its roots lie in the dusty villages of Rajasthan during the 1990s, where the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), led by Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey, organized public hearings to expose embezzlement in government works and famine relief schemes. When villagers read out falsified muster rolls and inflated bills, the audience gasped — and then demanded change.

Out of this outrage grew the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI), which drafted and lobbied for the legislation. The 2005 Act operationalized Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution — the right to freedom of speech and expression — by granting citizens the power to seek information from public authorities. It aimed to turn governance into a participatory process, allowing citizens to question decisions, trace expenditures, and expose irregularities that once hid behind bureaucratic opacity.

Transforming Lives, One Query at a Time

Over the past two decades, RTI has become one of the most widely used transparency laws in the world, with nearly 60 lakh applications filed annually. For millions of citizens, particularly the poor and marginalized, it has become a lifeline to claim entitlements and demand fairness.

In Delhi, field studies found that an RTI application could achieve the same outcome as paying a bribe — for instance, securing a ration card or access to welfare services — without resorting to corruption. Across India, stories of impact abound. Activist Lokesh Batra used RTI queries to uncover key details of the electoral bonds scheme, revelations that ultimately informed the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling declaring it unconstitutional. Subhash Chandra Agrawal’s petitions brought the judiciary within the RTI’s ambit, setting precedents for institutional transparency. In Ahmedabad, residents used it to resolve local water supply issues. Civil society groups have even tracked internet shutdowns and public spending through RTI disclosures.

Anjali Bhardwaj of the NCPRI calls it one of the most empowering laws for ordinary citizens, while Ashok Kumar of Satark Nagrik Sangathan describes it as a weapon of dignity for the underprivileged. For many, the RTI Act has not only reduced petty corruption but also restored faith in the possibility of responsive governance.

The Persistent Shadows

Yet these local successes have not translated into a broader shift in India’s corruption profile. Despite the Act’s reach, the CPI trend — from a score of 36 in 2012 to 38 in 2024 — reveals stagnation rather than progress. The reasons are structural and political.

The 2019 amendments diluted the independence of Information Commissioners by placing their tenure and salaries under government control. The 2023 Digital Personal Data Protection Act widened exemptions that allow authorities to withhold information. Meanwhile, administrative inefficiencies have grown. As of mid-2025, more than four lakh appeals remain pending, and several Information Commission posts are vacant.

Perhaps most disturbingly, RTI activism has become dangerous. Since 2006, over 100 individuals have been killed for using RTI to expose corruption, a chilling reality that underscores the need for better whistleblower protection. Former Chief Information Commissioner Satyanand Mishra has acknowledged that Public Information Officers are overburdened and often penalized without adequate institutional support. Transparency expert Venkatesh Nayak of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative observes that India still treats RTI as a compliance tool, not as a habit embedded in governance culture.

The Way Forward: Reimagining Transparency in a Digital Era

For the RTI Act to regain its transformative edge, India must strengthen both its structure and spirit. The first step is to fill vacancies in Information Commissions and ensure that the 30-day response mandate is met consistently. Implementing the long-delayed Whistleblower Protection Act is equally urgent to safeguard those who use the law in good faith.

Integrating technology could also redefine access. Artificial intelligence could help citizens draft queries, while blockchain-based systems could ensure tamper-proof records and disclosures. Expanding digital literacy and introducing RTI awareness in schools and civic training programs could nurture a generation that sees transparency not as confrontation but as citizenship in action.

Equally, it is vital to reverse policy dilutions and ensure that privacy exemptions are balanced by strong public-interest tests. As Kareem Ansari notes, the future of RTI depends on young Indians using it responsibly to demand justice, not merely information.

A Law Worth Defending

Two decades on, the RTI Act remains one of independent India’s most powerful democratic instruments. It has empowered millions to question authority, uncover wrongdoing, and claim their rightful share of governance. But for it to continue fulfilling its promise, the state must renew its commitment to transparency, and citizens must keep exercising their right to know.

Venkatesh Nayak perhaps sums it up best: “Transparency must become a reflex, not a reaction.” Only then can India truly become a society where accountability is not a demand but a default — and perhaps, one day, rise higher than 96th on the world’s corruption index.

Useful links for further deep dive into this topic

• Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 — Transparency.org
• India — Transparency.org
• India ranks 96 out of 180 countries in Corruption Perceptions Index … — The Hindu
• Corruption Perceptions Index — Wikipedia
• India Corruption Rank — Trading Economics
• https://thehindu.com/society/rti-act-20-years-transparency-law-delays-denials-activists-continue-fight/article70130533.ece