User:Subhashmadhu

PROFILE OF RTI ACTIVIST SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL

Subhash who has already been a known personality for readers of newspapers through his ‘Letters to Editors’ for which he also holds Guinness World Record, has been in news-headlines now for last more than five years for regularly grilling public-authorities through his numerous RTI petitions filed under ‘Right-To-Information Act 2005’. Interestingly his wife Madhu Agrawal also holds Guinness World Record for maximum letters to newspapers in a particular calendar. Print edition of Guinness Record Book (2009) has featured records of Guinness couple Subhash and Madhu Agrawal with photo.

Born on 10.01.1950 in Delhi, he passed B.Sc. (Mech.) Engg. from Delhi College of Engineering in the year 1971 with a brilliant academic record. An observative mind right from the childhood, made Subhash fire his first ‘letter-missile’ in Dainik Hindustan (Hindi) in the year 1967 while facing an unpleasant experience of pocketing ticket-money by a bus-conductor without giving proper ticket. Quick response to the published letter by authorities, made Subhash realize impact of taking matters through newspapers. An incurable hardening of right-hand thumb during adolescence could not snatch his passion for writing which he continued by single-finger typing because he never learnt formal typing! He has a vast collection of letters received from authorities on high posts acknowledging his selfless service for noble public cause. His letters are also published in foreign newspapers which even resulted in opening doors of Rotary International for women! Subhash utilised his vast experience in writing letters in utilising RTI Act from the day the transparency-Act came into force in October 2005. Central Information Commission at times lists his public-interest petitions for priority-hearing. Commission constituted full bench for hearing his petition concerning Chief Justice of India and other matters involving those in higher judiciary. His art of using RTI Act as a tool to plug loopholes and corruption in system, is being keenly observed in judicial, legislative and bureaucratic circles.

Not only Supreme Court judges declared their assets and wealth on website as an after-effect of his much talked-about RTI petition, Delhi High Court upheld Subhash Agrawal’s plea for Chief Justice of India being under purview of RTI Act. Subhash had to face unusual court-cases at Supreme Court filed by Supreme Court itself on his pleas like for disclosure on appointment of judges in higher courts. Even a specially-constituted three-judge Division Bench at Delhi High Court dismissed Supreme Court’s appeal against the earlier verdict by single-judge bench of Delhi High Court. Subhash Chandra Agrawal has been honoured with first-ever National RTI Awards with a trophy, citation and rupees one-lakh cheque at a function presided by Honourable Vice President of India Shri Mohammed Hamid Ansari. Perhaps he may also have a record for facing maximum court-cases filed by public-authorities including also Supreme Court, President’s Secretariat etc against CIC-orders in his favour!

Many other government-departments and public-authorities implemented suitable reforms after irregularities and malpractices were exposed through his RTI petitions grilling concerned departments on various matters. Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) intervened to direct Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) to take ‘file-notings’ as ‘Information’ only on his petition pending for disposal at CIC. He often figures in panel-discussions on TV channels apart from his many interviews by print and electronic media. Leading newspapers have photo-featured him as a sharp RTI shooter. Public authorities like National Academy of Defence Production (Nagpur) and Railway Staff College (Vadodra) invited Subhash at especially conducted workshops to train their officers dealing RTI petitions received at these public-authorities.

Every RTI petition filed by Subhash Chandra Agrawal has a positive impact because concerned authorities refrain from doing wrong for future because of possible such grilling through his artistically designed RTI petitions, aiming like bird’s eye for action through information. He makes best use of media to expose irregularities in the system by making available RTI responses to media by scanning and e-mailing RTI responses received by him. Otherwise also, CIC verdicts on his public-interest RTI petitions are automatically picked up by media because of importance of issues involved in his petitions. Subhash makes use of media in other ways also. He detects topics for RTI petitions through various reports published in newspapers. He has written many articles on use of RTI Act which have gained attention of concerned ones, and also be highlighted in media as well as on CIC website.

CIC verdicts on his petitions, have made DoPT accepting file-notings under RTI, disclosure of ministers’ wealth, check on expenses on judges’ foreign trips, decision to regulate fees-structure by private universities, wide-spread exposure of misconduct and corruption in higher judiciary, initiation of process for judicial reforms, initiation for reforms in Padma Awards, momentum in merger of oil companies, enquiry instituted against family-members of even former Chief Justice of India, modifications of RTI rules at Delhi High court, and many other issues of national and public interest. His fearless crusade against evils in judicial system started with his RTI petition filed seeking information taken on his complaint against a High Court Judge as early as in October 2005 immediately after the transparency Act came into force. More than one-fourth of his about 2000 RTI petitions relate to judicial system. He is supported in his crusade by leading lawyers where Shri Prashant Bhushan Advocate (Supreme Court) has been a close associate in his fight against corruption, irregularities and malpractices.

Agrawal’s other exposures on judicial system include wealth-declaration by judges, complaint against judges, exposure of judges’ earlier political affiliation, appointment of judges with media-highlighted controversies, more than normal expenses on foreign trips of judges, conduct-code for judges, disciplinary authority for judges, CBI enquiry against wards of a former CJI, immunity against retired judges, CJI covered by RTI Act or not, NHRC conduct-code for judicial officers and many other aspects concerning judicial system.

Agrawal’s other media-highlighted petitions include file-notings denied by DoPT as being under RTI Act, close-day on Ambedkar Jayanti, wealth-declaration by ministers, irregularities in Padma awards, photo-publicity of political-rulers, petrol-purchase through credit-cards, merger of oil-companies, irregularities in issue of commemorative stamps, gifts received by VVIPs on foreign-trips, India Gate canopy, samadhi of Sahib Singh Verma, memorial at 6 Krishna Menon Marg (New Delhi), contradictory information at Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on marriage of Dharmendra and Hema Malini, changing bungalow-number by a retiring Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his personal whim, Afzal Guru’s name missing from list of pending mercy-petitions, irregularities at Nigambodh cremation-ground at Delhi, and many other issues of national and public interest.

His total number of petitions reaching to stage of second-appeal at Central Information Commission has crossed three hundred in just five years of implementation of RTI Act in India, with CIC having given verdicts in almost all of these to his expectations. India’s first Information Commissioner Shri Wajahat Habibullah (now Chairperson of National Commission for Minorities) has written ‘Forward’ for a compilation of some selected published letters of Subhash in the book titled ‘The Change Maker’.

He has been a source of inspiration for others to use RTI Act. NGO’s, Educational Institutions and others from all over the country usually invite him to educate on use of RTI Act. Researchers from India and abroad are doing Ph.D. on his use of RTI Act and writing letters in newspapers. International media (print and electronic) are featuring him with prominence for his crusade to fight against injustice and corruption.

Time and mind are only necessary funding required for mission of fighting corruption and irregularities through power of pen. Agrawal utilises complete Sundays and daily about 4-6 hours in late evening and in early morning for the purpose, because the passion to use pen-power against corruption is his only hobby! Perhaps no one in India has used RTI Act with so much vigour and courage like Subhash has done. He takes RTI Act like a religion when he has made a strong determination to file at least on an average one RTI petition daily like a ritual. Journalists and insiders in offices often provide him clues about irregularities to be exposed through RTI petitions. Not being crazy for publicity, Subhash even avoids regular appearance on TV channels for which he always gets invite. However he takes time out of his normal business-schedule to attend hearings at Central Information Commission, RTI workshops to educate officers, students and members of public organised by public-authorities, education institutions and NGOs of repute.

Deciding to have no child, his wife Madhu Agrawal gives him full company in his mission for reforms in the system ever since Agrawals got married, without having any hobbies like films, outings or kitty-parties. Both of them are Paul Harris Fellows of Rotary Foundation. It was of an advantage of being Rotarian that Subhash came to know about RTI Act before being introduced in the country through Shri Arvind Kejriwal (now a Magsaysay awardee) who was invited as a guest-speaker at Rotary Club of Delhi Ashoka of which Subhash is a member. Presently both Subhash and his wife are actively associated with NCPRI working with NAC member Smt Aruna Roy and Shri Nikhil Dey.