Role of ‘Rights To Information’ Act, in India.

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What is your evaluation of the role of ‘Rights To Information’ Act, in short RTI in India. Is it really of any value to the common people of India? Let me explain the cause behind such a query. One of my friend’s only daughter was married to someone working at Bangalore. It was a love marriage. Before registration of marriage at Kolkata, the boy was working at Kolkata, but soon after the registration of marriage, the boy resigned from his job at Kolkata, and proceeded to Bangalore for better prospects. So her daughter had to accompany him to the new place of his job which was totally unknown to her and the local language there was the greatest barrier for communication with the local common people who are neither fluent in English nor in Hindi. The first few months were peaceful but soon the boy started physical and mental assault on her for squeezing money from her parents. Every night the girl was mentally tortured if not physically to create a panicky environment for her. She had to squeeze money from her parents by hook or by crook as and when directed. The girl never conveyed anything to her parents but her in-laws were aware of all these facts as she had complained them several times about the misconducts of their son. But they did not take any action and always misguided her parents by the display of a transparent image and restrained her as well as to adjust with their son by hook or by crook and never to disclose anything to her parents as it would bring more miseries to her. So the girl had no other alternative but to tolerate all these tortures and to keep quiet. She was not even allowed to use her cell phone without the presence of her husband. During day time, when he left for his office, he took away her cell phone and if there was any phone call from her parents, the call was never attended rather the boy impersonalized himself as the daughter by sending a message that she was busy and would call back at night. At night, her husband returning back from office compelled her to call back her parents stating that everything was running well and she was quite fine. Thus her parents were totally unaware of all these things happening there at Bangalore and were living in fool’s paradise that she was happily living her married life with her husband. But on October 5, 2011, she could not tolerate the physical torture on her and luckily she managed to get possession of the phone as her husband was at the extreme of his temper and did not notice that the girl was calling her parents for help. Her father received the call and heard the quivering voice of his daughter. He took no time in realizing the gravity of the situation. One of his friends who is also a resident of Bangalore now was immediately urged over phone to rescue her. He made no delay in rescuing her. She was taken to the local Police station from where she was accompanied by police to a near by government hospital for necessary medico-legal examination. A police case was also registered against the husband. But as her continuous presence for a couple days was essential for the purpose and her family members were all apprehensive about her safety there, she was asked to withdraw the complaint and to return back to Kolkata as early as possible. The next day that is on 06.10.11, she returned back to Kolkata by air. She was totally exhausted and was not even in the mental condition of making any conversation with her parents. The next day she was taken to the local Police station for making a fresh complaint against the husband. She was again advised to visit a government hospital for necessary medico-legal examination as that done at Bangalore was in the custody of Bangalore police. So another medico-legal examination was done and a F.I.R (First Information Report) was ultimately lodged on 7th October, 2012 at the local Police station. But the Police did not take any action, rather pleaded to the Honourable Court for referring the case to Bangalore as it was the actual place of occurrence. The Honourable Court asked the girl to appear on 23.11.11 where the personal lawyer of the girl pleaded for investigation by the local Police and the Honourable Judge was kind enough to pass an interim order to this effect and the next date was fixed on 30.12.11 for producing the accused before the Honourable Court. But unfortunately, the police was again found to show utter negligence and was totally inactive and day before the scheduled date for producing the accused before the court, pleaded for extension of date. The Honourable Judge again fixed a fresh date for the purpose. Now a question automatically arises as to the cause of total inactivity of the police. Was it to kill time so that the boy could avoid police or jail custody after a certain period of time? Under the circumstances, let me know whether her parents can take advantage of ‘Rights To Information’ Act to ask the police for clarification of two simple queries which are as follows- (1) How much time the police took to take the decision that the case should better be transferred to Bangalore where the girl was actually assaulted? (2) Why the Honourable Court was again approached for extension of date when there was already so much delay in starting of any investigation? Please provide me with your well thought advice.