Blogs and RTI Act

Introduction
This page is a guide on how to use the Right To Information act to find out more about the blanket block against the URLs:
 * http://www.blogspot.com
 * http://www.typepad.com
 * http://www.geocities.com

What is the RTI Act
The Right to Information Act was enacted by Parliament in 2005. It mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information. Any ordinary Indian Citizen can file a Right To Information application and the Government is compelled to respond.

You can find more information here: http://persmin.nic.in/RTI/WelcomeRTI.htm

Using the RTI Act for this block
The process is simple.

Step 1
Take a piece of paper, address it to the concerned Public Information Officer (PIO). In this case, it is probably the PIO, Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications. His address is:

Shri B.B.Bahl, Joint Director and PIO (RTI) Office of PIO (RTI) Room No 1016 Electronics Niketan Department of Information Technology (DIT) Ministry of Communications and Information Technology 6, CGO Complex, New Delhi Tel: 011-24301116 Fax: 011-24363099 Email: pio.dit_hq@mit.gov.in

Step 2
Draft a simple letter, for example, with the subject reading like this:


 * SUB: Request to Information Regarding the Blocking of Internet domains

and a body asking the following (feel free to add anything more):


 * I would like to use the Right To Information Act to ascertain the following:


 * Has there been a directive issued by the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology to block the domains http://www.blogspot.com, http://www.typepad.com and http://www.geocities.com?
 * If so, why has this blanket block come into force?
 * Why have these particular domain names been specifically blocked?
 * When will this block cease to exist?
 * If no such directive has been issued, why are these websites being blocked?
 * Who is responsible for ensuring that Indian citizens have the freedom to access these websites?
 * What form of redressal does an Indian citizen have to ensure that these websites are no longer blocked?

Note: Under the RTI Act, 2005, You are not compelled to give a reason for your application. So you can only include the questions if you like.

Step 3
Include your name and your full postal address at the end of the letter. This is extremely vital so that the PIO can respond to your request. The information will be sent to you via post.

Step 4
Go to your nearest post office. A list of post offices accepting RTI applications is given here: http://www.indiapost.gov.in/rtimanual16a.html

Step 5
Submit your application and pay Rs.10 at one of the eligible Post Offices and ensure that you get your receipt. This is once again vital as proof of your application. Make copies of your application for your future reference.

Step 6
Come home, and wait for the response. Allow 5 days for the Post Office to deliver the application to the PIO concerned, and 30 days after that for the PIO to respond to you. So in a total of 35 days, the PIO MUST RESPOND.

Sample Application Letter
A sample application letter is provided here: http://nandanbabla.googlepages.com/BlogsRTIApplication.doc

You can download it, add your name and address at the end, print it and send it using the steps detailed above.