Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
India

Political Parties Not Covered By RTI Act, Centre Tells Indian SC

Darpan News Desk IANS, 24 Aug, 2015 11:10 AM
    The central government on Monday told the Supreme Court that political parties were not covered under RTI as they were not public authorities and any attempt to bring them under the transparency law was fraught with dangers of misuse with "malicious intention" of thwarting their "smooth internal working".
     
    "During the enactment of the RTI Act, it was never visualised or considered to bring the political parties within the ambit of the said (RTI) Act," the government said in its affidavit.
     
    "If political parties are held to be political authority under the RTI Act, it would hamper their smooth internal working," it maintained, expressing apprehension that "political rivals might file appliocations with malicious intentions to the CPIOs of the political parties, thereby adversely affecting their political working".
     
    Describing as "erroneous" conclusion by the Central Information Commission that political parties were public authorities covered under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the affidavit said: "Political parties are not established or constituted by or under the constitution or any other law made by the parliament." 
     
    The government's response came following the apex court's July 7 notice, seeking its response as to why political parties should not be treated as a public authority for the purpose of bringing them in the ambit of the act.
     
    A bench headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu had issued notice on a plea by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) that had sought that political parties be exposed to public scrutiny under the RTI as they play an important role in national affairs.
     
    Besides the government, the notice was also issued to the Election Commission and national political parties including Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.
     
    ADR has sought directions to all "national and regional political parties to disclose for public scrutiny complete details of their income, expenditure, donations and funding including details of donors making donations to these political parties and their electoral trusts."
     
    The CIC by its June 3, 2013 order had held that six nationally recognized political parties were public authorities under section 2(h) of the RTI Act.
     
    The CIC had reiterated its order on March 16 this year after these political parties did not comply with its earlier order.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    250 Booked For Gurgaon Factory Violence

    250 Booked For Gurgaon Factory Violence
    Over 250 people were booked under various sections of the IPC and a case of attempt to murder was slapped after workers at a garment factory here turned violent and resorted to arson and rioting, leaving a few workers injured.

    250 Booked For Gurgaon Factory Violence

    Another Debt-ridden Farmer Harmeet Singh Commits Suicide In Punjab

    Another Debt-ridden Farmer Harmeet Singh Commits Suicide In Punjab
    Farmer Harmeet Singh of Mansuran village near here took the extreme step on Wednesday evening after he failed to return the loan taken from an 'arhtiya' or private financier, the family said.

    Another Debt-ridden Farmer Harmeet Singh Commits Suicide In Punjab

    After Lalit Modi, Opposition Takes On BJP On Advani's Emergency Remarks

    After Lalit Modi, Opposition Takes On BJP On Advani's Emergency Remarks
    Already in the line of opposition's fire over the Lalit Modi issue, the ruling BJP on Thursday was further driven to a corner over remarks of party senior L.K. Advani that he did not rule out another Emergency-like situation in the country.

    After Lalit Modi, Opposition Takes On BJP On Advani's Emergency Remarks

    PM Narendra Modi Meets Bhagwad Gita Contest Winner Maryam

    PM Narendra Modi Meets Bhagwad Gita Contest Winner Maryam
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met Maryam Asif Siddiqui, a 12-year-student from Maharashtra, who had won the Bhagwad Gita Champion League in March.

    PM Narendra Modi Meets Bhagwad Gita Contest Winner Maryam

    Bangladeshi Held In Bengal Nun Rape Case

    Bangladeshi Held In Bengal Nun Rape Case
    A Bangladeshi national, one of the prime accused in the rape of a septuagenarian nun inside a convent in West Bengal's Nadia district, was arrested and sent to police custody on Thursday, police said.

    Bangladeshi Held In Bengal Nun Rape Case

    Postmedia-owned Sun Newspapers Now Back With The Canadian Press News Agency

    Postmedia-owned Sun Newspapers Now Back With The Canadian Press News Agency
    TORONTO — Sun Media newspapers are once again receiving content from The Canadian Press news service.

    Postmedia-owned Sun Newspapers Now Back With The Canadian Press News Agency