Maharashtra government stays RTI Rules two days before Anna Hazare’s agitation

Two days before social activist Anna Hazare was to start an indefinite hunger strike at Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district against the Maharashtra government’s recent amendments to the Right to Information Rules, the State government on Thursday stayed the amendments. “We will restore the position as of June 11, 2026,” a senior IAS officer told The Hindu. Another official said that the amendments had been stayed in view of the objections and concerns raised by the social activist.

Soon after the government’s decision, the villagers of Ralegan Siddhi expressed joy. “It is a moment of happiness for us. It would have been difficult to see Anna sit for a hunger strike at the age of 90 years. Ralegan Siddhi has seen his struggles for decades now. The village stands by him,” said a close associate of Mr. Hazare.

The Hindu accessed the letter sent by the General Administration Department on July 2 to the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of Maharashtra. “The Chief Minister has directed that the rules before the issuance of a gazette notification on June 12, 2026, should be brought into force. Accordingly, the action has been taken immediately,” it stated. Soon after, the Maharashtra State Information Commission (SIC) issued orders staying the Maharashtra Right to Information (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (copy available with The Hindu).

Several activists had raised objections to the provisions of the amended rules, which included a threefold increase in application fee, the introduction of a new fee for appeals, and a cap on free information for those living below the poverty line. The rules also required that each RTI application pertain to a single subject and be limited to 150 words. Other provisions included mandatory disclosure of an applicant’s identity, removing anonymity protections for whistleblowers, barring legal representation during hearings, permitting dismissal of cases if applicants fail to appear, and closing cases upon an applicant’s death.

Reacting to the development on Thursday, RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar welcomed the government’s decision to stay the amendments. But he also called for the scrapping of the amendments. “They are in contravention of the provisions of the RTI Act. The government should appoint a new committee to look into this issue. It should include all the stakeholders and should be done transparently. A public consultation should be held,” he said.

When asked about the stay, Maharashtra’s CIC Rahul Pande told The Hindu, “Our discussion last week with respected Anna Hazare was focused on effective implementation of the RTI Act in the State and on making the RTI regime more people-friendly with more vigorous steps on maximum suo motu voluntary disclosure under Section 4(1) of the RTI Act. The recently notified RTI Rules were also discussed and Anna underlined the importance of suo motu disclosure and demanded that the implementation of the RTI Rules be put on hold.”

“Accordingly, the Chief Minister has directed that the implementation of the RTI Rules be stayed and after receiving the direction, it has been communicated to all Benches of the SIC immediately. As a result, pre-June 12 rules have been restored. The Information Commission is deeply committed to strengthening the pro-people RTI regime and enforcing it more effectively,” he added.

The government had announced the decision on a day when the villagers of Ralegan Siddhi called for an agitation on Friday (July 3, 2026), when they had planned to burn the draft of the new RTI Rules.

A team of the SIC had visited Mr. Hazare on June 24. After the meeting, Mr. Hazare had reiterated his resolve to continue with his strike. A group of prominent activists had also sent a legal notice to the Maharashtra government, saying that the amendments were in contravention of the spirit and the provisions of the RTI Act.