“Knowledge is Power.” — Petyr Baelish

Our governments—all of them, regardless of which party runs them—seem to have imbibed this singular philosophy. But then one fine day, about a decade ago, the UPA government passed this uncharacteristically good law which broke that belief. It was called the Right to Information Act and it changed … everything.

For the first time, citizens had the absolute right to ask anything and demand information from the governments they elect. The happiness of the Act was shortlived because successive governments have tried to stifle it in one way or another. In extreme situations, political actors and officials have even resorted to getting RTI activists killed.

In this episode of Consti-tuition, Meghnad tells you about this one epic weapon every citizen has and how they can wield it to hold the people they elect accountable. People in power are scared, very, very scared, of the Right to Information Act.