{
  "id": 13332237,
  "title": "Kochi Corporation’s move to put a leash on serial RTI ‘abusers’ triggers backlash",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/kochi-corporations-move-to-put-a-leash-on-serial-rti-abusers-triggers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-10T05:07:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kochi-corporation-faces-backlash-after-proposing-to-blacklist-and-hand-over-serial-rti-abusers-to-vacb/article71567095.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Kochi Corporation's recent decision to target and expose what it perceives as serial abusers of the Right to Information (RTI) Act has sparked controversy and backlash from various quarters. Opposition forces, legal experts, and RTI activists have all criticized the move. The LDF plans to petition the State Chief Information Commissioner and Corporation Secretary against the decision on October 12, while the RTI Federation Keralam is set to approach the Governor to overturn the ruling.\n\nThe controversial decision to hand over the names of those deemed \"serial\" RTI petitioners to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) was made during a council meeting on October 7. The move was prompted by councillor Gipson George, who called for action against those he described as \"RTI labourers.\" George clarified that he is not against RTI itself, but rather against those who misuse it as a tool for corruption, often in collusion with some Corporation officials.\n\nGeorge cited an incident where a building owner received a demand for a ₹5 lakh ransom, claiming permit-related issues, as an example of the problem. However, legal experts like Kaleeswaram Raj argue that the move violates the spirit of the RTI Act, which does not limit the number of applications a person can file. According to Raj, the law allows for individuals to file as many applications as needed based on their needs, circumstances, and other factors.\n\nMayor V.K. Minimol also lamented the misinterpretation of the decision, stating that it was taken to combat a VACB investigation into a corrupt scheme exploiting RTI. The VACB has previously warned against an extortion racket involving RTI activists filing excessive petitions for monetary gain. The Corporation has compiled a list of alleged abusers to forward to the VACB for further investigation.\n\nHowever, LDF parliamentary party leader V.A. Sreejith contends that the move is politically incorrect, as it goes against the spirit of a significant law enacted by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance with Left support. Sreejith called for protests against the decision, arguing that the Corporation should focus on transparency instead of targeting RTI activists. The RTI Federation Keralam and its state president, Shashi Kizhakkada, have described the move as anti-democratic and a violation of citizens' constitutional rights. They argue that under Section 6(2) of the RTI Act, applicants are not required to disclose the purpose of their applications, and scrutinizing them for filing RTI requests goes against the very spirit of the legislation.",
  "summary": "Supreme Court lawyer Kaleeswaram Raj said the move went against the spirit of the RTI Act, which does not prescribe any ceiling on the number of applications that can be filed",
  "key_points": [
    "Kochi Corporation targets serial RTI abusers, sparking controversy",
    "Opposition, legal experts criticize decision on October 12",
    "RTI Federation Keralam seeks to overturn ruling via Governor"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}