ADMINISTRATIVE LAW SYNOPSIS

s.sylverster raj BA0130068

Theme: Freedom of Information

Introduction: The Freedom of Information is the basic invisible fundamental right guaranteed
in any nation. Unlike any other right, it is the foremost and the most significant right guaranteed
under the Law of the Land to all its citizens. Freedom of information is an extension of freedom
of speech, a fundamental human right recognized in international law, which is today understood
more generally as freedom of expression in any medium, be it orally, in writing, print, through
the Internet or through art forms. This means that the protection of freedom of speech as a right
includes not only the content, but also the means of expression. Freedom of information also
refers to the right to privacy in the context of the Internet and information technology. As with
the right to freedom of expression, the right to privacy is a recognized human right and freedom
of information acts as an extension to this right. Lastly, freedom of information can
include opposition to patents, opposition to copyrights or opposition to intellectual property in
general. The international and United States Pirate Party has established political platforms
based largely on freedom of information issues.

During the last decade, nearly 70 countries had Freedom of information legislations applying to
information held by government bodies and in certain circumstances to private bodies. In 19 of
these countries the freedom of information legislation also applied to private bodies. Access to
information was increasingly recognized as a prerequisite for transparency and accountability of
governments, as facilitating consumers' ability to make informed choices, and as safeguarding
citizens against mismanagement and corruption. This has led an increasing number of countries
to enact freedom of information legislation in the past 10 years. In recent years, private bodies
have started to perform functions which were previously carried out by public bodies.
Privatization and de-regulation saw banks, telecommunications companies, hospitals and
universities being run by private entities, leading to demands for the extension of freedom of
information legislation to cover private bodies.

Research Objectives: The following are the broad research objectives of this research:

1. To understand the concept of Freedom of Information in its full length and breadth;
 2. To critically examine the scope and applicability in the contemporary scenario;
3. To bring into limelight the various loopholes and other associated problems in the
legislation pertaining to Freedom of Information;
4. To suggest suitable remedies which can bury these loopholes and making the legislation
perform better in the long run.

Research Questions: The following are the research questions in this research project:

1. Why is the concept of Freedom of Information given much significance and importance
in the present scenario?
2. How effective is the same Freedom guaranteed to the citizens working in the present
scenario? If not, what are the reasons for it?
3. What possible solutions or remedies can be brought into limelight to bury the loopholes
in the enactments relating to Information and make it perform better?

Tentative Chapterization: The following are the broad list of tentative chapters:

1. Introduction
2. Concept Freedom of Information
3. Enactments Pertaining to Freedom of Information
4. Working of the Information Enactments and Its Loopholes: A Special Reference to the
RTI Act, 2005
5. Conclusion and Suggestions

Research Methodology: The methodology adopted is basically descriptive, analytical,

comparative, and conceptual at places laying emphasis on Qualitative research using deductive
type of logical reasoning for understanding the working of Delegated Legislation in the current
scenario by suggesting suitable remedies for its betterment.

SET OF DATA COLLECTION TOOLS: The researcher utilized the conventional method of
using libraries consisting of primary sources like books, journals, articles, famous writings of
well-known jurists and e-resources, etc. International case-studies and landmark judgments (e.g.
House of Lords, etc.) on Administrative Law have been a major contributing factor towards
enhancing the quality and output of this research.