Indian transparency activists, journalists take Modi to Court

Transparency activists and journalists are taking the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to India's top court over its new privacy law, arguing the legislation will have a "chilling" effect on journalism and enable officials to withhold information of public interest.



Four lawsuits are due to be heard in the Supreme Court today, following criticism from media and activists that Modi's government is diluting a 20-year-old Right to Information (RTI) law that is similar to the Freedom of Information Act in the U.S.



Modi's government has also faced criticism of curbing dissent through a stringent content removal regime.



The government has denied the allegations and says it only orders removal of unlawful content and the RTI law continues to follow a principle of "maximum disclosure and minimum exemptions."



The latest controversy surrounds a one-line amendment to the RTI law that came into force in November with the new privacy law, called the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, and excludes any "personal information" from release.



Previously, the law allowed officials to release such information in "public interest".