Kochi’s Attempt to Blacklist Serial RTI Filers Sparks Legal Outcry

The municipal body of Kochi unveiled a draft ordinance that would place a ceiling on the number of Right to Information requests an individual could submit, effectively creating a blacklist for what officials termed "serial abusers" of the law. The proposal, presented during a council meeting, cited administrative overload and the diversion of staff resources toward handling repetitive queries. Proponents argued that the measure would safeguard the efficiency of public offices, yet the language of the draft raised immediate alarms among transparency advocates who view unrestricted access as a cornerstone of democratic accountability.

Legal experts, including Supreme Court advocate Kaleeswaram Raj, swiftly condemned the move as antithetical to the constitutional guarantee of information access. They highlighted that the RTI Act contains no provision for limiting the frequency of applications, and that any attempt to impose such a restriction would likely be struck down by the judiciary. The backlash extended to opposition parties and non‑governmental organisations, which organised protests and filed writ petitions demanding the withdrawal of the draft. The episode underscores a growing friction between bureaucratic inertia and a citizenry increasingly adept at leveraging information rights to demand better governance.

The controversy has already produced tangible consequences: municipal employees report a temporary slowdown in processing legitimate requests as they grapple with the political fallout, while activists fear a chilling effect that could deter ordinary citizens from seeking information. If the ordinance were to survive legal scrutiny, it could set a precedent for other municipalities, potentially reshaping the national discourse on transparency and prompting a reevaluation of the balance between administrative efficiency and public oversight.