Business Standard: Mumbai: Friday, 28 July 2023.
The petition before the Supreme Court to bring political parties within the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeks the wrong solution to a valid problem. The petitioners, including non-government organisation (NGO) Association for Democratic Reforms, have asked the court to declare political parties “public authority” under the RTI Act, 2005. This reflects a misreading of the objective of this law, which was to enhance transparency and accountability in government to check corruption and maximise the spirit of democratic governance. The premise is that citizens pay tax, so they have the right to know how their money is being used. A public Premium authority under the Act is defined as any authority, body, or institution of the
government established under the Constitution, by a law made by Parliament or state legislatures, or by a notification of the Centre or a state. A political party does not fulfil these conditions either by the letter or the spirit of the law.
The petition before the Supreme Court to bring political parties within the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeks the wrong solution to a valid problem. The petitioners, including non-government organisation (NGO) Association for Democratic Reforms, have asked the court to declare political parties “public authority” under the RTI Act, 2005. This reflects a misreading of the objective of this law, which was to enhance transparency and accountability in government to check corruption and maximise the spirit of democratic governance. The premise is that citizens pay tax, so they have the right to know how their money is being used. A public Premium authority under the Act is defined as any authority, body, or institution of the
government established under the Constitution, by a law made by Parliament or state legislatures, or by a notification of the Centre or a state. A political party does not fulfil these conditions either by the letter or the spirit of the law.
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