Given below are two statements:
Statement (I): Right to information has been granted to every citizen of India under Right to Information Act, 2005 which came into force on 12th October, 2005.
Statement (II): Right to information is a fundamental right.
In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Statement I is true but Statement II is false
Statement (I): Right to information has been granted to every citizen of India under Right to Information Act, 2005 which came into force on 12th October, 2005. Correct. The Act was passed in June 2005 and came fully into force on 12 October 2005. It gives every citizen the right to ask a public authority for information, which must be given within 30 days.
Statement (II): Right to information is a fundamental right. Incorrect. The right to information is not listed among the fundamental rights in Part III of the Constitution; it is a statutory (legal) right given by the RTI Act, 2005, and is enforced through the information commissions set up under that Act.
Note: The Supreme Court has held in several judgments that the right to know is a part of the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a). One can argue that on this reading Statement II is also true, which would make Option (1) the answer. The answer given by NTA follows the usual reading: the right to information as a right of its own comes from the RTI Act, not from Part III.