Anna Hazare warns of mass agitation if Maharashtra does not withdraw RTI amendments

Social activist Anna Hazare. File. | Photo credit: PTI

Civil rights activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) issued an ultimatum to the Maharashtra government calling for the withdrawal of the Right to Information (Amendment) Rules, 2026. The meeting with the Maharashtra Chief Information Commissioner at Ralegan Siddhi was “unsatisfactory”. “If the amendments are not withdrawn and if people’s interest is threatened, I will hit the streets again,” he told reporters.

He called for a fight against the amendments and expressed dissatisfaction with the Maharashtra government’s policies. “During this meeting, I did not get any satisfactory answers from the government. If the soul of the RTI Act is to be kept alive, a new committee needs to be formed immediately. This committee should consist of experts and officials who have deep knowledge of the RTI Act and who are pro-people,” he said after the meeting.

The amendments blunt the RTI provisions

He had earlier written to the Maharashtra government demanding complete withdrawal of all the amendments, adding that they weaken the spirit of the Right to Information Act and blunt its provisions. He opposed provisions in the amended rules that tripled application fees, introduced appeal fees and limited the free provision of information to those living below the poverty line. The rules mandate that one RTI query should be on one subject and the word count is limited to 150 words. It seeks mandatory disclosure of the applicant’s identity, removal of the shield of anonymity for whistleblowers, and a ban on lawyers representing applicants in negotiations. If the applicant does not appear for the hearing, the case may be dismissed. If the applicant dies, the case will be closed.

Anna Hazare said she would go on a hunger strike if the government did not take steps to unequivocally repeal the amendments by July 5. He also threatened to launch a nationwide agitation. Mr Hazare’s office said the Chief Information Commissioner had informed them that he would convey the meaning of the talks to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who would make a last-minute call.

The meeting was “satisfactory”

Chief Information Commissioner Rahul Pande termed the meeting “satisfactory” and said that Anna Hazare was pleased with the information provided to him. “We met Anna Hazare today and had extensive discussions on the effective implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act in the state. The focus of our discussion was to make the RTI regime more people-friendly with more vigorous steps towards maximum suo-motu voluntary disclosure under Section 4(1) of the RTI Act. My senior colleagues and SIC Pune Bench Makrand Ranade and Prafilkash were also involved in disposal statistics and SIC Prafilkash. Recently the notified RTI rules were also discussed and Anna emphasized the importance of suo-motu publication and demanded that the implementation of RTI rules be delayed.We are satisfied with our discussions with Anna,” he said.

Meanwhile, civil rights activists have raised questions about the CIC’s role. They wanted to know how the Information Commissioner can act as a mediator between the government and civil rights activists and how an official can lead discussions when he does not have the power to change or repeal the rules.

Published – 25 Jun 2026 02:00 IST