AMN
In the line of India, the Right to Information (RTI) Act has come into force in Sri Lanka too. The act marks the culmination of a movement of over 20 years to ensure transparency in governance and easy availability of information. The Government has gazetted almost all categories of public authorities that fall within the purview of RTI.
The introduction of RTI was a key pledge of the current government. While introducing the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the government recognised the Right to Information as a fundamental right.
Parliament unanimously passed the Right to Information Act on June 24, 2016.
As per the act, public authorities are liable to share information within the specified timelines, subject to a maximum of 28 days.
As a beginning, an NGO filed several public interest RTI requests seeking information including the assets and liabilities declarations of the President and the Prime Minister and a request for the financial reports of political parties from the Election Commission.