CONSTITUTIONAL JURISPRUDENCE OF THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION IN INDIA

Abstract

The foundation of knowledge that inspires learning is information. Some traditional writings and international groups provide a good explanation of the significance of information as a weapon for empowerment. The theme of the people's government is freedom of speech. People must be informed of the significant decisions made by the government and the reasoning behind them in order to secure their continued participation in the democratic process. "Public participation in public and government processes is most meaningful when citizens have acceptable access to sanctioned information." Thus, the right to know leads to administrative openness as citizens have access to information on a wide variety of issues, thus promoting transparency in government, increasing government effectiveness by holding officials accountable and ultimately reducing corruption.

“The right to information” was not originally recognized as right under the Indian Constitution. However, the Apex Court of India interpreted these indigenous guarantees in light of the different provisions of the Indian Constitution. The “right to freedom of speech and expression” given by Article 19(1)(a), the “right to equality” enshrined under “Article 14” and the “right to life and personal liberty” guaranteed by “Article 21 of the Indian Constitution” together elucidate the concept of right to know and incorporate the “right to information” as a “fundamental right” which will of course be subject to reasonable limitations as assessed by the law under Article 19(2) of the Indian Constitution. This study has focused on the concept of “right to information”, its constitutional jurisprudence and its development as a right through various judicial interpretations.