Chennai: A day after the arrest of RTI activist Siva Elango for refusing to stand during the hearing of the Tamil Nadu Information Commission, former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi launched an online petition campaign to the National Human Rights Commission, seeking a direction to all judicial and quasi-judicial institutions to offer a chair to those deposing before them.

In the online petition, Mr Gandhi said, “An RTI appellant was arrested for insisting on his right to a seat during a hearing by the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission. This is an insult to the sovereignty of the citizen. Every citizen must get the right to sit when deposing before any judicial or quasi-judicial authority.”

“An insistence that a citizen must stand in such situations is feudal, and an insult to the dignity and respect to human rights. This must be discontinued in all forums, and citizens should insist on this,” Mr Gandhi said. He urged the NHRC to take cognizance of this incident and issue appropriate directions to all judicial and quasi-judicial bodies in the country.

The Commission has come under severe criticism in social media from activists. Writer and activist Gnani Sankaran wrote on his Facebook page, asking everyone to condemn the intimidating arrest of RTI activist Siva Ilango. “The authorities have been annoyed for some time and were looking for a ruse to intimidate Ilango and his colleagues in Satta Panchayat. All democratic forces should rally behind RTI activists now,” he said.

A 72-year-old civic activist V. Rama Rao narrated his own experience of appearing at the Commission’s proceedings few months ago when he was asked to stand even though chairs were available. “This may be a colonial practice, adopted by the courts. Even then, the practice of using ‘My Lord’ was officially dispensed with. The prefix, ‘Worshipfull Mayor’, was replaced by ‘Honourable’. Several foreign countries conduct criminal trials by allowing the alleged criminals to be seated,” he noted. He asked the State Information Commissioner to reveal relevant rules for denial of seating facilities. “Even if there is one such rule, it should be scrapped,” he said, demanding immediately release of the activist.