CJI office falls within ambit of RTI Act:SC, transparency activists hail landmark verdict

Observing that judicial independence and accountability go hand in hand, the Supreme Court on Wednesday held that the office of the Chief Justice of India(CJI) is a public authority and falls within the purview of the Right to Information(RTI) Act.

Pronouncing a landmark verdict, the apex court at the same time said transparency cannot be allowed to run to its absolute and that RTI Act should not be used as a surveillance tool. It also observed there should be a balance between right to privacy and right to information and they have to be treated as "co-equals"
During the hearing, Bhushan had asked: "Do judges inhabit different universe?"
"All public servants who are paid by the government are public servants no matter what their position is? You need to be accountable for your work."
Justice N V Ramana, in a separate judgement, said he was concurring with Justice Khanna and stressed there should be a balance between "right to privacy and right to information and they have to be treated as co-equals and there was a need for a balancing formula."