Protection of action taken in good faith

21

No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against any person for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done under this Act or any rule made there under.

Act to have Overriding Effect

22

The provisions of this Act shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith contained in the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and any other law for the time being in force or in any instrument having effect by virtue of any law other than this Act.

Bar of Jurisdiction of Courts

23

No court shall entertain any suit, application or other proceeding in respect of any order made under this Act and no such order shall be called in question otherwise than by way of an appeal under this Act.

 Act not to apply to certain organisations

24

(1)

 Nothing contained in this Act shall apply to the intelligence and security organisations specified in the Second Schedule, being organisations established by the Central Government or any information furnished by such organisations to that Government:

Provided that the information pertaining to the allegations of corruption and human rights violations shall not be excluded under this sub-section:

Provided further that in the case of information sought for is in respect of allegations of violation of human rights, the information shall only be provided after the approval of the Central Information Commission, and notwithstanding anything contained in section 7, such information shall be provided within forty-five days from the date of the receipt of request.

(2)

The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, amend the Schedule by including therein any other intelligence or security organisation established by that Government or omitting therefrom any organisation already specified therein and on the publication of such notification, such organisation shall be deemed to be included in or, as the case may be, omitted from the Schedule.

(3)

Every notification issued under sub-section (2) shall be laid before each House of Parliament.

(4)

Nothing contained in this Act shall apply to such intelligence and security organisation being organisations established by the State Government, as that Government may, from time to time, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify:

Provided that the information pertaining to the allegations of corruption and human rights violations shall not be excluded under this sub-section:

Provided further that in the case of information sought for is in respect of allegations of violation of human rights, the information shall only be provided after the approval of the State Information Commission and, notwithstanding anything contained in section 7, such information shall be provided within forty-five days from the date of the receipt of request.

(5)

Every notification issued under sub-section (4) shall be laid before the State Legislature.

Monitoring and Reporting

25

(1) 

The Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be, shall, as soon as practicable after the end of each year, prepare a report on the implementation of the provisions of this Act during that year and forward a copy thereof to the appropriate Government.

(2)

Each Ministry or Department shall, in relation to the public authorities within their jurisdiction, collect and provide such information to the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be, as is required to prepare the report under this section and comply with the requirements concerning the furnishing of that information and keeping of records for the purposes of this section.

(3) 

Each report shall state in respect of the year to which the report relates,—

(a) 

the number of requests made to each public authority;

(b)

the number of decisions where applicants were not entitled to access to the documents pursuant to the requests, the provisions of this Act under which these decisions were made and the number of times such provisions were invoked;

(c)

 the number of appeals referred to the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be, for review, the nature of the appeals and the outcome of the appeals;

(d)

particulars of any disciplinary action taken against any officer in respect of the administration of this Act;

(e)

the amount of charges collected by each public authority under this Act;

(f)

any facts which indicate an effort by the public authorities to administer and implement the spirit and intention of this Act;

(g)

 recommendations for reform, including recommendations in respect of the particular public authorities, for the development, improvement, modernisation, reform or amendment to this Act or other legislation or common law or any other matter relevant for operationalising the right to access information.

(4) 

The Central Government or the State Government, as the case may be, may, as soon as practicable after the end of each year, cause a copy of the report of the Central Information Commission or the State Information Commission, as the case may be, referred to in sub-section (1) to be laid before each House of Parliament or, as the case may be, before each House of the State Legislature, where there are two Houses, and where there is one House of the State Legislature before that House.

(5) 

If it appears to the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be, that the practice of a public authority in relation to the exercise of its functions under this Act does not conform with the provisions or spirit of this Act, it may give to the authority a recommendation specifying the steps which ought in its opinion to be taken for promoting such conformity.

 Appropriate Government to prepare programmes

26

(1)

The appropriate Government may, to the extent of availability of financial and other resources,—

(a)

develop and organise educational programmes to advance the understanding of the public, in particular of disadvantaged communities as to how to exercise the rights contemplated under this Act;

(b)

encourage public authorities to participate in the development and organisation of programmes referred to in clause (a) and to undertake such programmes themselves;

(c)

promote timely and effective dissemination of accurate information by public authorities about their activities; and

(d)

 train Central Public Information Officers or State Public Information Officers, as the case may be, of public authorities and produce relevant training materials for use by the public authorities themselves.

(2) 

The appropriate Government shall, within eighteen months from the commencement of this Act, compile in its official language a guide containing such information, in an easily comprehensible form and manner, as may reasonably be required by a person who wishes to exercise any right specified in this Act.

(3)

The appropriate Government shall, if necessary, update and publish the guidelines referred to in sub-section (2) at regular intervals which shall, in particular and without prejudice to the generality of sub-section (2), include—

(a)

 the objects of this Act;

(b)

the postal and street address, the phone and fax number and, if available, electronic mail address of the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, of every public authority appointed under sub-section (1) of section 5;

(c)

the manner and the form in which request for access to an information shall be made to a Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be;

(d)

the assistance available from and the duties of the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, of a public authority under this Act;

(e)

 the assistance available from the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be;

(f)

all remedies in law available regarding an act or failure to act in respect of a right or duty conferred or imposed by this Act including the manner of filing an appeal to the Commission;

(g)

the provisions providing for the voluntary disclosure of categories of records in accordance with section 4;

(h)

the notices regarding fees to be paid in relation to requests for access to an information; and

(i)

any additional regulations or circulars made or issued in relation to obtaining access to an information in accordance with this Act.

(4)

The appropriate Government must, if necessary, update and publish the guidelines at regular intervals.

Power to make rules by appropriate government

27

(1)

The appropriate Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules to carry out the provisions of this Act.

(2)

In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:—

(a)

the cost of the medium or print cost price of the materials to be disseminated under sub-section (4) of section 4;

(b)

the fee payable under sub-section (1) of section 6;

(c)

the fee payable under sub-sections (1) and (5) of section 7;

(d)

 the salaries and allowances payable to and the terms and conditions of service of the officers and other employees under sub-section (6) of section 13 and sub-section (6) of section 16;

(e)

the procedure to be adopted by the Central Information Commission or State Information Commission, as the case may be, in deciding the appeals under sub-section (10) of section 19; and

(f)

any other matter which is required to be, or may be, prescribed.

Power to make rules by competent authority

28

(1)

The competent authority may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules to carry out the provisions of this Act.

(2)

In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:—

(i)

the cost of the medium or print cost price of the materials to be disseminated under sub-section (4) of section 4;

(ii)

the fee payable under sub-section (1) of section 6;

(iii)

the fee payable under sub-section (1) of section 7; and

(iv)

any other matter which is required to be, or may be, prescribed.

Laying of rules

29

(1)

Every rule made by the Central Government under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.

(2)

Every rule made under this Act by a State Government shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is notified, before the State Legislature.

Power to remove difficulties

30

 (1)

If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the Central Government may, by order published in the Official Gazette, make such provisions not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act as appear to it to be necessary or expedient for removal of the difficulty:

Provided that no such order shall be made after the expiry of a period of two years from the date of the commencement of this Act.

(2)

Every order made under this section shall, as soon as may be after it is made, be laid before each House of Parliament.

Repeal

31

The Freedom of Information Act, 2002 is hereby repealed.