'SC should not file appeal on the RTI order'

The Supreme Court should restrain from filing an appeal against the Delhi High Court judgement that the office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) came within the ambit of the Right to Information Act (RTI), former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court M Rama Jois, MP, today said.

"It would be better the Supreme Court restrains itself from filing an appeal against the judgement of the Delhi High Court to itself", Jois, a Rajya Sabha member and former governor of Jharkhand and Bihar, said in a statement here.

He said though the Delhi High Court's full bench judgement rejecting the contention of the apex court that the CJI office was beyond the ambit of RTI Act, was "undoubtedly the proof of independence of judiciary, the fact that such an occasion arose for the high court is unfortunate".

"In my humble opinion, any appeal by the Supreme Court to itself against the judgement of Delhi High Court, would be incongruous... Common man gets an impression that appeal against the order of High Court is being filed before the respondent himself and by filing an appeal Supreme Court would be exposing itself to criticism that it is no better than an ordinary litigant", he said.