By IANS
Srinagar : The Jammu and Kashmir governor, S.K. Sinha, has returned the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2007 to the state legislature without approving it.
Following severe criticism from many activists about the Kashmir RTI Bill not being at par with the RTI Act passed by the parliament in 2005, the state government had introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2007 in the state legislative assembly on Aug 31.
The amendment was passed by the bicameral state legislature and the same was sent to the governor for his assent.
The activists agitating for bringing the Kashmir RTI laws at par with those passed by the parliament for the rest of the nation had expressed their dissatisfaction with the amendment stating that even in the amended form, the Kashmir RTI laws left much to be desired.
“If the amended bill becomes law, the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir would have inferior rights in matters related to seeking and obtaining information from the government as compared to those enjoyed by citizens in other states,” an activist said.