Center wants to finish RTI, says Prashant Bhushan

Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan on Monday said the Central Government's affidavit in Supreme Court against political parties under the purview of RTI was not at all surprising or unexpected.

"Not surprising (Centre's affidavit in SC), Central Government wants to finish RTI act completely," Bhushan told ANI.

Bhushan said political parties were public authorities under the RTI Act and received many facilities from the government. Income tax concessions, offices, buildings and houses to live in are a few benefits to name.

Bhushan said the central government is 'destroying all institutions of accountability, whether it's Lokpal, CVC or CBI. They want to destroy the RTI Act also."

However in an affidavit, the Centre said both the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the Income Tax Act, 1961 have adequate measures to ensure that transparency is maintained in the accounts of political parties.