Cong seeks time from CIC on funds RTI case

Congress today sought four weeks time from the Central Information Commission to respond to a notice issued to its President Sonia Gandhi on a complaint filed by an activist on issues including donations to the party even as it questioned why she is targeted.
In a response filed by treasurer Motilal Vora, the party also asked the Commission to revisit its order bringing the party under RTI in the light of a Supreme Court judgement.
The party cited the apex court judgement to claim that merely providing subsidies, grants, exemptions, privileges, etc. To a body cannot be brought under the definition of "substantial funding" for a body to exist and be answerable under RTI.

The party also claimed that an RTI amendment bill was introduced to keep political parties out of the ambit of the transparency law.
However, under the law, the CIC cannot review its decision and its orders can only be challenged through a writ petition before the High Courts or Supreme Court.
During a full bench hearing at the Commission, counsel for Congress K C Mittal said Gandhi was being targeted in isolation as there are five other parties which were declared public authorities by the CIC.

He also said that complainant R K Jain has provided him new information which needs to be considered before giving its further response for which he needs four weeks of time. The Commission has fixed next date of hearing on June 20.

Jain told the Bench comprising Information Commissioners--Sridhar Acharyulu, Sudhir Bhargava and Bimal Julka--that he has already moved an application on May 16 to include Chiefs of BJP, BSP, NCP, CPI and CPM in the matter.
He also said since Congress has not named any one in the party who should be responsible for answering RTI queries, the notices were sent to its President.
He also annexed a letter from Election Commission of April 1, 2016 in which it had transferred a separate RTI application to the "The President, Indian National Congress..." to buttress his point that the party was considered a public authority even by the Election Commission.

The matter related to RTI application filed by Jain with Congress in February, 2014 seeking details of financing, donations, elections in the party among other details.
It was not responded to following which he approached CIC with a complaint under the RTI Act against the party. He also approached Delhi High Court seeking directions for the CIC to hear his petition.
The Commission recently issued fresh notice to Gandhi after the orders of the Delhi High Court which had directed in August 2014 that the "complaint filed by the petitioner be considered expeditiously and preferably within a period of six months".