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Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly, Chairperson, West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC), on Saturday equated the recent spate of violence during the panchayat polls in West Bengal as an attempt to throttle the freedom of expression.
According to him, the incidents of bloodshed and killing of people was against freedom of expression. At an interactive session on ‘Judiciary, Ethics and Justice Delivery in India’ organised by the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce, Ganguly spoke on the importance of RTI Act in the Indian democracy and how right to vote was “equivalent to freedom of expression.”
“The exercise of voting every five year must have a meaning. What is the meaning of such a huge expenditure of public fund, if it does not ensure that expression of popular mandate? If the mandate is controlled by money and muscle power, what is the point?” he said.
He added that voting is a “fundamental right.”
Explaining the benefits of RTI Act, Ganguly said the Act is a “revolutionary step” and it ensures the right to knowledge.
The Act helps in maintaining transparency and accountability, besides reducing the chances of corruption, he pointed out.
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