Rajasthan men file RTI petitions on projects, get used condoms in reply

Jaipur, Jan 17: Nothing could have been more shameful for the world's largest democracy. Right to information (RTI) forms one of the foundations of a democratic system but it was mocked recently in Rajasthan where two persons queried about alleged corruption in the local village panchayat but what they got in response was shocking.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Vikas Choudhury and Manohar Lal had filed to separate applications and got used condoms wrapped in old newspapers! The two men, residents of Chani Badi in Bhadra tehsil of Rajasthan's Hanumangarh district, got the shocking deliveries allegedly posted by the gram panchayat after being instructed by the State Information Commission. The duo's applications were made under the RTI with the village panchayat last April seeking details of the development projects undertaken since the year 2001.

"After opening the first envelope with used condoms folded in an old newspaper, we were quite apprehensive about the stuff in the second one so we called the block development officer (BDO) and requested his presence while opening the other," Choudhary, who is preparing for state civil services examination in Delhi, was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times over the telephone.

"When the BDO refused our request, we decided to open it in the presence of some prominent persons of our village and filmed the whole episode. The material in the second envelope was the same as the first one," he said.

Lal was stunned by the turn of events and expressed his disgust saying he was in a constant mental agony and depression since he received the RTI reply.