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Accessing documents tough at National Archives

NewsAccessing documents tough at National Archives

New Delhi: Journalists and researchers are complaining about the complicated bureaucratic process to access crucial archives from the National Archives Museum in the national capital.

Journalists or any researcher have to go through a long process of permissions from the Central Committee on Archives, followed by an official letter from the Institute or the media organisation stating clearly the motive and the objective of the research and the purpose of accessing such archived documents.

A journalist from a leading newspaper told The Sunday Guardian that the government has made accessing public documents so complicated that it demotivates people from carrying out research. “I had gone to access an important document from the Independence era and it is a declassified document and a public document. The red tape started right from the time I was outside the National Archives gate. They needed an insider permission to let me in. Once I made some phone calls and got the permission to enter the building after waiting for over 40 minutes, I was denied permission to access the files,” the journalist said.

“I was surprised that I was stopped from accessing documents which are public documents. I was told that I would require an official letter on a letterhead from my organisation clearly stating what the objective was and the purpose of accessing the document, along with a registration with my ID. This is bizarre,” the journalist added.

Not only this, even researchers who have been researching in various fields and who have to go to the National Archives on a regular basis have also been complaining about the slow red tape and bureaucratic process it takes for them to access archived documents.

One such researcher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Sunday Guardian, “Every time I have to access some information or documents from the National Archives, I will need a letter from my supervisor stating the purpose and need of the document. Moreover, the registration process is lengthy. Why do we need to do this every time? This is a public document. Why can it not be readily available to the public?” The Sunday Guardian also spoke to officials of the National Archive Museum. Officials from the National Archives Museum also confirmed to this newspaper that such processes are required for anyone to access archived documents. T. Hussain, Deputy Director of Archives, Record Management, said, “One has to follow the process and the rules laid down. We cannot do anything about it.”

Asked how independent researchers can get access to archived documents, an official from the National Archives Record Management team said, “Independent researchers have to give an undertaking stating clearly the motives and objectives of their research, along with their government ID proof; only then will they be able to access the documents.”

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