New Delhi, Apr 10 (UNI) Leaders of INDIA bloc on Thursday demanded repeal of Section 44 (3) from the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, alleging that it violates the Right To Information (RTI) Act and freedom of press.
Addressing a joint press conference at the Press Club of India here, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi said, “Recently, in the Lok Sabha, civil society organisations reached out to various INDIA alliance leaders and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, regarding the draconian amendment in the Digital Data Protection Act”.
He said the petition that will be handed over to Minister of Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has signatures of around 120 leaders of Opposition parties.
“Our recommendation to the Minister is that Section 44 (3) be removed from the Digital Data Protection Act. We hope that the Government will seriously consider this Bill and consider our suggestions as these will not have any significant impact on the original Data Protection Bill,” he emphasised .
He alleged that the Digital Data Protection Act that was passed has a very dangerous section – Section 44 (3), which virtually amends Section 8(1)( j) of the RTI Act.
He claimed, “The biggest thing is that the Data Protection Bill has ripped apart the RTI Act. It now states that if the information requested under RTI isn’t connected to public interest, there’s no obligation to disclose it”.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi alleged, “The government was destroying the RTI Act by introducing several provisions that will significantly restrict public access to information. This is unfortunate”.
She also alleged that the bill could be used to suppress press freedom and investigative journalism. Additionally, it includes provisions for hefty fines, potentially amounting to several crores of rupees.
John Brittas of the CPI-M while calling the RTI Act “a milestone in the trajectory of India” alleged that with a single stroke, the Modi government has done away with the RTI. This will have far-reaching implications for the freedom of the press.
Samajwadi Party leader Javed Ali Khan, DMK’s Pudukkottai MM Abdulla and RJD leader Nawal Kishore also supported Gaurav Gogoi.
