Maharashtra Halts RTI Act Changes After Anna Hazare Threatens Hunger Strike
Maharashtra government has paused implementation of new Right to Information rules that would have tripled application fees from ₹10 to ₹30. The decision came after activist Anna Hazare warned of a hunger strike against the proposed changes.
The Maharashtra government has temporarily suspended implementation of the newly proposed Right to Information Rules, 2026, following a stark warning from veteran anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare that he would launch a hunger strike if the changes proceeded.
The state had notified the revised RTI rules on June 12, which included a substantial increase in the application fee from ₹10 to ₹30 — a threefold jump that would have made it costlier for common citizens to access government information. The rules also contained several other modifications to the existing RTI framework that regulate how officials respond to information requests and handle disclosures.
Anna Hazare, who has a long history of using hunger strikes as a tool for social and political pressure, immediately opposed the proposed amendments. The activist, whose mass movement against corruption in 2011 galvanised national sentiment and eventually led to the introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament, made it clear that he would not tolerate what he viewed as an attempt to restrict public access to government information. His threat of a hunger strike carried significant weight given his track record of mobilising public support and forcing policy reversals through such protests.
Facing the possibility of a high-profile confrontation with a respected public figure, the Maharashtra government chose to step back from the implementation. The state authorities have now kept the revised rules on hold, signalling a retreat from the fee hike and other controversial provisions that had drawn criticism from transparency advocates and civil society groups.
The RTI Act, which came into force nationally in 2005, is considered a cornerstone of democratic accountability. It allows citizens to request and obtain information from government departments and public bodies. Any increase in application fees is widely seen as a deterrent to ordinary people exercising this fundamental right, particularly lower-income groups and activists who rely on RTI to expose government inefficiency or wrongdoing.
The government has not yet announced when or if it will revisit the proposed rule changes. Civil society organisations and transparency advocates are likely to continue monitoring the situation closely. Anna Hazare's intervention has once again highlighted the power of public pressure in shaping policy decisions in Maharashtra.
