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Ranjit Singh Kapany

Declassification: The 5th pillar of democracy

Introduction

For a country to be called democratic legitimately it's important that it fulfills all the necessary parameters which define democracy. Mere existence of a nation-state with an elected government and international recognition doesn't necessarily mean that the country is a pure democracy. An integral component of a democracy is the flow of information between the government and the common people which forms the basis of transparency and openness. Thus, it's essential that a democracy functions on the foundational stones of transparency so that a sense of mutual trust and confidence could be established between the government and its citizens. However, the harsh reality is that most of the nations throughout the world, including those which claim to be the torchbearers of modern democratic principles, have been known to tinker in matters of maintaining transparency. Often, crucial and essential information pertaining to domains of information warfare, indigenous history, strategic partnerships etc. are kept hidden in the classified sections of the government, inaccessible to the common people. Though some of these pieces of information fall within the purview of national security concerns and their disclosure is not in the interests of the nation, the same argument cannot be used as a smokescreen, to keep people in the dark about which highlights the wrongdoings of the state itself.

This is exactly where declassification comes into picture and acts as a remedy. As the name suggests, it is the exact reversal of the process of hiding information i.e. taking up the classified records of the government sections and releasing them into the public domain. In such a sense, declassification is a rare process throughout the world and governments often tend to avoid discussions over it. However, surprisingly India's track record in this domain has been far better than any other third-world nation and even many developed or first-world nations too. The PM Modi led NDA cabinet's decision in 2015 to declassify more than 100 files pertaining to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's death was indeed a remarkable step in reigniting the spirit of transparency in India.


There have been many instances of declassification throughout the world, some of them initiated legally under the policy decisions of the governments and some illegally by whistleblowers.


Declassification in India: the case of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

In India specifically, declassification became popular due to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's case itself. Because of the continuous efforts of various pressure groups, activists and journalists, the Government of India was compelled to declassify records pertaining to Netaji's death. As expected, these files did reveal shocking and explosive facts about the incident, which the governments for the past 70 years had been hiding from the common people.


Firstly, the files released from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Foreign Ministry ascertained the fact that the plane crash theory was a hoax and that Netaji never actually died in a plane crash. Instead, the files indicate Netaji's presence in Soviet Russia after the alleged plane crash.

Secondly, a shocking revelation of snooping and surveillance over Netaji's family was made by these files. It was found that the Nehru government till the 1960s exploited official intelligence machinery to keep a track on the activities of Netaji's family. An SLO (security liaison officer) in charge was positioned in New Delhi, to whom the intelligence bureau used to report, and the officer in turn provided the intelligence to the British headquarters in London. A separate set of declassifications from the London National archives of various intercepted letters and telephonic conversations provide further proof of this fact.


The legend of Edward Snowden

In contrast to Netaji's case wherein the Government of India authorized the declassification process, there are some instances throughout the world where the whistleblowers take up the challenge to disclose such sensitive pieces of information. Although their acts are illegal and often subjected to espionage laws of their respective nations, such disclosures unravel the truth of various wrongdoings by officeholders to the common public. The best example in this regard is that of Edward Snowden. Snowden, who once worked for the CIA, leaked tons of information contained in the files of the national security agency as well as other American intelligence agencies. The information from these files exposed America's true stance which was often disguised under the tags of being the most liberal and democratic country of the world. It disclosed how America, over the years, used its internal intelligence machinery to spy on foreign nations, American citizens, members of opposition parties, resistance groups, and others to acquire the means to manipulate circumstances to its own advantage. The release of this information not only deteriorated American diplomatic ties with other nations but also led to an internal destability as the people of the country questioned their lost faith in the government and its administration.


The way forward

Such instances prove that the more the governments try to suppress the truth, the more explosive it becomes with time. Truth is inevitable and cannot be hidden for long from the common people. Thus, it's important for governments across the world to have policy reforms implemented to ensure smooth flow of information between the governmental agencies and the people, within the purview of national security concerns.

For example, in the Indian context, the RTI Act of 2006 should be strengthened with easier access of information to the people while ensuring that the central information commission, which acts as a dispute redressal committee is given more powers and authority, in order to facilitate quick decision making, in this regard. Similarly strengthening the legal institutions and constituting a watchdog authority to keep a check on the government's track record of the declassification process are some other ways which democracies can adopt.

Thus, it's important that governments all over the world in whom people have entrusted their vote and elected them to power, themselves take up the initiative to ensure transparency and smooth flow of info. Only then will countries be able to ensure internal stability and uphold the spirit of democracy faithfully.

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