Dear Leo, This forum, I suppose is for discussions relating to Right to Information Act, 2005. How to use RTI, Where to use RTI, Should PIOs be penalized, information obtained using RTI, sharing success stories, sharing problems faced in or by using RTI, what is the definition of information, etc etc.
To circulate press releases unconnected to RTI is not correct. Warm Regards, On Mon, 06 Apr 2009 ESGINDIA wrote : >Dear Sarbajit, > >I was invited to join this list and accepted the invitation. I have >only been a silent participation, learning a lot from ongoing >discussions. Sometimes I have been quite disturbed by personal attacks >on key functionaries in charge of implementing the Right to Information >Act (largely without substantiation), but I chose to remain silent as >such discussion was also part of a democratic dialectic process. > >When such insinuations have been tolerated, even celebrated on this >list, I find the language you now use, such as "issued by people with >dubious antecedants" very disturbing. What are you actually saying >now? Do you have the right to pass such judgments? > >I would have accepted if you had requested people not to post releases >that did not concern RTI on this list... But sometimes, especially in >challenging circumstances (such as the campaign to release Binayak >Sen), folks will post releases. No one but you have protested this. > >As a moderator you have a special role to monitor discussions. But you >have no right to pass judgments or make insinuating remarks, as you have >now done. > >I protest. And I demand that you make your apology public on this list. > >Please also desist from stating such words as "dubious antecedants", >especially against public persons if you cannot substantiate it. >Exactly what do you mean by this? Roy, for one, went to prison for the >dubious manner in which information was manufactured against her, and I >thought you should be worried such things happen as an RTI activist. > >I would unsubscribe from this list if as a moderator you do not accept >this demand for apology for an unwarranted rebuke and judgment you have >passed. > >Regards > >Leo Saldanha > >sroy1947 wrote: > > > > Dear Members, > > > > Please do not treat this group as a dumping ground for press releases. > > There are specialized groups for circulating press releases issued by > > people with dubious antecedents - ours is not one of them. > > > > Sarbajit > > > > --- In [email protected] <mailto:rti_india%40yahoogroups.com>, > > Vijayan MJ <vijaya...@...> wrote: > > > > > > Press Statement by Arundhati Roy > > > > > > Issued at the Raipur Satyagraha for the Release of Dr Binayak Sen > > > April 6, 2009 Raipur, Chattisgarh > > > > > > __________________________________________________________ > > > > > > Dr Binayak Sen has been in prison for 22 months, arrested under one of > > > India's most draconian laws, the Chattisgarh Special Public Security > > Act. > > > This Act has such a vague, diffused definition of `Unlawful > > Activity' that > > > it renders every person guilty unless he or she can prove their > > innocence. > > > Dr Sen's bail application was dismissed twice, both times at the very > > > outset, by the High Court of Chattisgarh and by the Supreme Court of > > India. > > > On neither occasion was there a discussion on the merits of the > > case. On the > > > 2nd of December 2008 the High Court of Chattisgarh once again turned > > down > > > his bail application, without a discussion on the merits of the > > case, saying > > > that there had been no change in circumstances. > > > > > > > > > > > > But there has been a change in circumstances. To begin with, the > > > charge-sheet has been filed. 64 witnesses have been examined by the > > > prosecution. Not one of them has provided legally admissible evidence to > > > support the accusations in the charge-sheet. Even the jail > > officials, the > > > Superintendent and the Jailer, who were called as witnesses by the > > > Prosecution, have ruled out the possibility of Dr Sen being a carrier of > > > letters given to him by Narayan Sanyal (said to be a senior Maoist > > leader) > > > who is a high security prisoner in Raipur Jail. (It should be > > mentioned here > > > that Narayan Sanyal has a medical condition which requires surgical > > > intervention from time to time, which is why the jail authorities > > permitted > > > Dr Sen to visit him regularly.) > > > > > > > > > > > > That Dr Sen should continue to be in prison when the case against > > him has > > > almost completely fallen through says a great deal about the very grave > > > situation in Chattisgarh today. There is a civil war in this state. > > Hundreds > > > are being killed and imprisoned. Hundreds of thousands of the > > poorest of the > > > poor are hiding in the forests, fearing for their lives. They have > > no access > > > to food, to markets, to schools or healthcare. The thousands who > > have been > > > moved into the camps of the government-backed peoples' militia, the > > Salwa > > > Judum, are also trapped in sordid encampments, which have to be > > guarded by > > > armed police. Hatred, violence and brutality is being cynically spread, > > > pitting the poor against the poorest. > > > > > > > > > > > > There is very little doubt that Dr Sen is in prison because he spoke out > > > against this policy of the State Government, because he opposed the > > > formation of the Salwa Judum. His incarceration is meant to silence > > dissent, > > > and criminalize democratic space. It is meant to create a wall of > > silence > > > around the civil war in Chattisgarh. It is meant to absorb all our > > attention > > > so that the stories of the hundreds of other nameless, faceless people - > > > those without lawyers, without the attention of journalists - who are > > > starving and dying in the forests, go unnoticed and unrecorded. > > > > > > > > > > > > Tomorrow is World Health Day. Dr Binayak Sen spent the best part of > > his life > > > working among the poorest people in India, who live far away from the > > > government's attentions, with no access to clinics, hospitals, > > doctors or > > > medicines. He has saved thousands from certain death from malaria, > > diarrhea, > > > and other easily treatable illnesses. And yet, he is the one in > > jail, while > > > those who boast openly about mass murder are free to go about their > > > business, and even stand for elections. > > > > > > > > > > > > What does this say about us? About who we are and where we're going? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Arundhati Roy > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Also visit www.raipursatyagraha.wordpress.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > Delhi Forum > > > F-10/12 (GF), Malviya Nagar, > > > New Delhi INDIA - 110017 > > > Phones: + 91-11-26671556 (Direct), > > > 26680914/883 Fax:26687724 > > > Emails: vija...@..., delhifo...@... > > > Web: http://updatecollective.wordpress.com/ > > <http://updatecollective.wordpress.com/> > > > http://delhisolidaritygroup.wordpress.com/ > > <http://delhisolidaritygroup.wordpress.com/> > > > > > > "Beware of the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the > > > citizenry into patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged > > > sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And > > when > > > the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with > > hate > > > and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the > > rights > > > of the citizenry, [who] infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, > > will > > > offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How will > > I know? > > > For this I have done. And I am Julius Caesar." > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > >[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
