RTI act amendment bill introduced in Lok Sabha to insulate political parties

With political parties across the spectrum opposed to the Central Information Commission (CIC) ruling bringing political parties under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI); the government today lost no time in introducing a bill to amend the RTI act. The Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2013 is aimed at redefining public authority or institution so that political parties such as the Congress, BJP, BSP, NCP, CPI and CPI-M are not defined as “political authorities” under the transparency law.

MoS DoPT V. Narayansamy introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha. The bill inserts an explanation into section 2 of the act, “The expression authority or body or institution of self-government established or constituted by any law made by Parliament shall not include any association or body of individuals registered or recognised as political party under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.”

In its June order the CIC had decreed that the above mentioned political parties would have to disclose their sources of income in keeping with the RTI act. Terming it as a “liberal interpretation” of the RTI act, the bill states that there are already provisions in the Representtaion of People Act as well as the Income Tax Act which deal with transparency in the financial aspects of political parties and their candidates.     "Declaring a political party as public authority under the RTI Act would hamper its smooth internal working...Further, the political rivals may misuse the provisions of RTI Act, thereby adversely affecting the functioning of the political parties,” the bill adds.

 

The bill would come into retrospective effect from June 3 as the CIC order came on June 2, to “remove the adverse effects of the said decision.”

RTI activists had hailed the CIC ruling for curbing corruption and ushering in clean politics.

The bill categorically states that political parties can’t be brought under the ambit of the RTI act as they are not “public authorities.” Political parties have been recognised under the Representation of the People Act and not through an act of Parliament.