NCW jeopardises lives of RTI applicants, uploads personal details on website

In a major gaffe, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has made the personal details of the RTI applicants public on its official website–ncw.nic.in. A complaint in this regard has been filed with the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare by a social activist on Monday.

The matter came to light after social activist Teena Sharma approached the Minister of Women and Child Welfare Menka Gandhi. In her complaint, she has accused the NCW chairperson/administrative head of disclosing the complete details of RTI applicants, many of whom could be rape victims. A copy of the complaint is in possession with the Millennium Post.

The information includes the name of the applicant, their address, reference number and the details of applicant's parents. When the Millennium Post accessed the website, the details of all the RTI applicants between 2009 and 2011 were found easily available. It is worth mentioning that the lives of the whistleblowers are always at risk as they try to access the crucial details in a bid to expose them. In these circumstances, NCW’s gaffe making the details public can jeopardise the lives of the applicants who have used the right to information act in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

“The Ministry of Women and Child Welfare has passed an order, directing NCW to strike off all the details of the RTI applicants from its official website,” Sharma added. However, the details were not removed till late Tuesday. Meanwhile, NCW chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam remained unavailable for the comment.

In her complaint, Sharma further wrote, “It is highly surprising, how could an organisation like NCW which is 'supposedly' understood to be sensitive towards the concerns of women are actually going against their own mandate to secure safety and security for them.”