Indian Express : Kochi: Sunday, February 26, 2017.
The rift
between the Communist parties in Kerala has taken a new turn with lawyers’
organisation affiliated to CPI coming out against the decision of the left
front government, led by CPM, on providing information under RTI act.
The
association submitted before the Kerala High Court that relief sought by the
State in a petition against the order of State Information Commission (SIC) is
a matter of great public importance. "The State government is indirectly
seeking 'secrecy' for the decisions made by the elected representative. This is
against the purpose and transparency set out by the Right to Information Act,
2005,” the association pleaded before the HC.
The Indian
Association of Lawyers’ Kerala State Committee affiliated to CPI made the
submission in an application seeking impleadment in the petition filed by the
State government. The government had sought an order instructing that the
information under the RTI Act regarding the decisions at the meeting of the
Council of Ministers need be provided only by the administrative departments
concerned.
The
Association informed that it could contribute better to the dispassionate legal
discussion which is essential for deciding the petition by the State
government. The petition was filed by CB Swaminathan, general secretary of the
Association.
In the
petition filed by the State, it had challenged the order of the SIC directing
the State Public Information Officer in the office of the Chief Secretary to
provide information regarding the details of the decisions taken at the Cabinet
meetings held from January 1 to March 12 this year sought by an RTI activist.
A debate has
been raging between the two leading parties over the purview of RTI Act. CPI
state secretary Kanam Rajendran had demanded that RTI should not be diluted and
cabinet decisions be posted on the government web site. This was dismissed by
CM Pinarayi Vijayan who asserted there is no need to post all information on
the website and the public will come to know about decisions through government
orders.