UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM & ENERGY STUDIES

SCHOOL OF LAW

B. TECH. LL. B (HONS.)

CYBER LAW

SEMESTER IX

ACADEMIC YEAR: 2018-19

ABSTRACT ON

Media and RTI

FOR

Right To Information

Under the Supervision of: M r. Deepesh Kumar

Mr.

SUBMITTED BY:

MADHUR SHARMA R120214020

GAUTAM BHAGRIA R120214014

ABSTRACT

The enactment of the Right to Information Act, 2005 is a historic movement. It replaces the
culture of concealment and control with honesty and involvement. RTI is a process to secure
access to information and setting out unacceptable means in order to promote transparency and
accountability in governance. The media is looked upon as the fourth estate and the freedom of
media is necessary for a democratic state. The Press Council of India works to regulate the ethics
of the print media and to protect freedom of the press. The media world has spread out, thus
widening the outlook. Subsequently, the laws governing them are also numerous. It is not within
the scope of this paper to deal with the whole subject of media laws, but this section makes a
person aware of the various important legislations involving the diverse branches of Media
Communication, making him aware of his rights and assisting him to use them within the
framework of law existing in India and at last furthering the cause of “Freedom Of Speech And
Expression” and “Transmission of Knowledge.” With the legislation of the Right to Information,
it has become a weapon for the common people and media as well.

Information is regarded as the oxygen of democracy. ‘Right to Information’, the right of every
citizen to access information held by or under the control of public authorities, can thus be an
effective tool for ushering in good governance. The RTI law has given a greater and wider space
for the media to play in empowering people and consolidating a democratic polity. By using this
legislation, the media can investigate and expose issues of wider public interest. The media, as
the guardian of freedom of speech, can open up “closed doors” to transparency and
accountability by disseminating information about RTI to secure people’s fundamental right to
know. Such kind of vibrant media activism, by publishing and broadcasting nationwide
discourses on RTI, eventually narrows down ‘transparency and accountability deficit’ in
countries like Nepal.

Keywords: Media, Transparency, Good governance, Democracy, Freedom of speech,

Information