SC to hear petitioner next week
In a time of deep political polarisation, refusing to comply with the RTI Act seems to be one of the few issues that has united national parties across the ideological spectrum.
Despite a June 2013 ruling from the Central Information Commission (CIC) that they fall within the ambit of the transparency law, parties insist that they cannot be considered public authorities under the Act.
Six years later, on the verge of another Lok Sabha election, the Supreme Court is set to adjudicate on the issue, with a petition filed jointly by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal coming up for a hearing on March 26.
“We filed the petition because parties are defying the law and the CIC was unable to do anything about it,” said Shivani Kapoor, who heads ADR’s legal research team. “National political parties are the main players as far as elections are concerned. In a democratic system of governance, it is essential that they are held accountable by informed citizens.”
Most political parties refused to comment publicly on the issue, saying it was sub judice, although a Congress spokesperson told The Hindu that parties could not be considered public authorities under the Act.
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