Govt frowns on CIC ruling on bringing pol parties under RTI

The CIC order on bringing parties under RTI ambit today drew disapproving remarks from the government with senior ministers finding it "unusual" and noting that there is a need to keep a practical control of RTI objectives as they cannot be allowed to "run riot".
"CIC order is a rather unusual interpretation of the provisions of the RTI Act. To describe political parties as public authority strains credulity ... It does not appear to be based on credible arguement," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters at the Cabinet briefing.
Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid said that the RTI is still an evolving process in the country and its reach and ambit is being tested.

"There is a logic of RTI and this is reflected in its orders. The logic will be tested at various levels including by the courts. I think we should be overtly sensitive to the evolving nature of RTI but at the same time I think it is important to keep a practical control of RTI objectives because it cannot be allowed to run riot," Khurshid, a former Law Minister, said.
Noting that the purpose of the RTI Act is to make public servants accountable to the world and to ordinary citizens, he said this is an "enduring process".
However, he refrained from making a direct comment on whether the Act should be applicable to political parties.

Minister of State in PMO V Narayansamy said he had still not read the CIC order but his personal opinion is that political parties do not come under RTI.

"Political parties, according to me, are not government organisations. These are private organisations. I will study the judgement and then be able to comment on it," he said.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) yesterday held that the parties are public authorities and answerable to citizens under RTI Act.
The CIC, a quasi-judicial body, has said that six national parties Congress, BJP, NCP, CPI-M, CPI and BSP have been substantially funded indirectly by the central government and they have the character of public authority under the RTI Act as they perform public functions.