Has the Right to Information Act (RTI) created a monster, or more? The city police's Crime Branch has been tasked with probing a handful of RTI activists, who have been accused of blackmailing, and abusing provisions of the law, to extort huge amounts of money from real estate developers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Some of these developers have committed suicide, allegedly because of the stress.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis issued directives to this effect early this week, following the complaints he received from the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India and the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (CREDAI MCHI) and Property Redevelopers Association (PRA), Mumbai, last week. mid-day is in possession of the letter by CREDAI-MCHI dated January 10, 2019 and another by PRA dated January 21, 2019; and the directives that the CM has issued the Commissioner of Police and Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Mumbai, asking them to examine and inquire into the complaints.