Ranchi: Around 100 Right To Information (RTI) activists across Jharkhand on Monday held a demonstration at Raj Bhavan here, alleging chief information commissioner of Jharkhand State Information Commission Aditya Swaroop was diluting the RTI Act and making their jobs as whistle-blowers more difficult.

For three hours from 11am, RTI activists under the banner of Bharatiya Suchna Adhikar Raksha Manch pushed for a 21-point charter of demands, including immediate appointment in nine vacant information commissioner posts, security for RTI activists under Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2011, among others.

They alleged the state information commission had become a den of corruption and officers who denied information to petitioners were protected.

"The information commission is sitting on a huge backlog of cases. To hear all appeals, there are two information commissioners (Swaroop and Himanshu Shekhar Choudhary). There is a deliberate attempt to dilute the purpose of RTI as chief information commissioner (Swaroop) passes arbitrary orders in appeal cases. He protects information officers for their blatant wrongdoings," said RTI activist Anand Panda.

Appeal cases are those that an applicant files before the panel after being denied information from the government department/ wing concerned.

To prevent this, activists demanded CCTV cameras be present in Swaroop's courtroom to record proceedings. They also demanded CBI inquiry into how Swaroop, a 1982 batch retired IAS, became the state's chief information commissioner in April 2015.

"We also demand CBI inquiry into the verdicts of all appeal cases given by Swaroop and his colleagues. RTI Act clearly states that an applicant must get the full document of their case. But the state commission has illegally issued an order wherein applicants are given only 10 to 15 pages. If an applicant insists on detail, officials ask him/her to visit the office and see the file," said working president of Bharatiya Suchna Adhikar Raksha Manch Ravikant Paswan, who came from Latehar.

Paswan and his colleagues said that if an applicant had more than one RTI case, the panel clubbed all together on one day without making allowances for the differences in the nature of each case.

They also alleged harassment and false police cases by vested interests for exposing corruption via RTI.

"There are numerous instances of attacks on RTI activists in Jharkhand. The Supreme Court had ordered police protection for RTI activists way back. But, when our colleague from Hazaribagh Shamsher Alam reminded officials here in Jharkhand about that, no one took notice," said Paswan.

Contacted by this paper, Swaroop refused to comment on the allegations.

"I don't know about their demonstration and allegations. So, I can't comment," he told this paper.