DEMOCRACY AND THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION: THE TWIN PILLARS OF INDIAN GOVERNANCE

Democracy is the rule of the people, serving as the spirit of the Indian Constitution even before its formal enforcement in 1950. To uphold this legacy, "We, the People of India " are committed to maintaining a Democratic Republic, remaining ever ready to adopt transformative changes to protect these values. Since the landmark Kesavananda Bharati case , the Preamble has served as the "basic structure" and a guiding light for constitutional morality. In this context, the Right to Information (RTI) stands as a major milestone in upholding democracy, accountability, and responsibility. Globally, RTI serves as a vital tool to prevent corruption and governmental malfunction by making the state accountable for every action. In practice, the author observes that RTI applications at the local level frequently encounter procedural hurdles, its intrinsic relation with democracy, its evolution, and the current challenges it faces in the 21st century.