Data Protection Bill undermines RTI Act: INDIA bloc to submit petition to Ashwini Vaishnaw

The INDIA bloc on Thursday, 10 April, launched a sharp attack on the Modi government, accusing it of weakening the Right to Information (RTI) Act through the recently enacted Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act.

Leaders from the Congress, DMK, Shiv Sena (UBT), CPI(M) and Samajwadi Party held a joint press conference in Delhi, warning that the new law could have a chilling effect on transparency and freedom of press.

Addressing the media, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi highlighted Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act, stating that it virtually overrides Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act — a move he termed "dangerous and deliberate."

“If you want to know, for instance, who the contractors or officials responsible for the Bihar bridge collapse are, this Act now makes it impossible to access that information. The public’s right to know has been snatched away through a well-thought-out conspiracy,” said Gogoi.

He further alleged that the Congress party’s recommendations to safeguard transparency were excluded from the final version of the Act.

Gogoi announced that the INDIA bloc would soon submit a petition, signed by around 120 Opposition leaders, to Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

“We hope the government will take our concerns seriously. Removing Section 44(3) will not dilute the core purpose of the Data Protection Act, but it will preserve the spirit of the RTI Act,” he said.

The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill was passed in 2023 amid a no-confidence motion over the Manipur crisis.

Civil society groups and digital rights activists have raised alarms over its implications for citizens’ rights and press freedom.

Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena (UBT) warned that the Act grants sweeping powers to the central government, including the authority to decide who can access or share information. “We appeal to citizens to raise their voices against this bill to protect public rights, investigative journalism, and the democratic process,” she said.

CPI(M) MP John Brittas accused the government of acting unilaterally. “With a single stroke, the Modi government has gutted the RTI Act. This will have far-reaching consequences for press freedom. I urge my media colleagues to revisit the 2019 JPC report — many of the current provisions go against its recommendations,” he said.

He added that even the proposed Digital Data Protection Board had recommended safeguards, such as appointing the attorney general to ensure legal due diligence, but those suggestions were ignored.

Samajwadi Party’s Javed Khan echoed the criticism. “The 2019 amendments had already weakened the RTI Act. Now, with this new law, the government is attempting to dismantle the remaining transparency mechanisms available to the public,” he said.

The INDIA alliance leaders vowed to continue their campaign to restore the RTI Act to its full strength, warning that the DPDP Act, in its current form, undermines democratic accountability and press freedom.