This refers to the editorial "Open up accounts" (June 6). It seems that the term "public authorities" is central to the applicability of the Right to Information (RTI). Unfortunately, the definition of this term hinges on the factor of funding by the government. This should not be so. There should be enough scope to interpret public authority in a broader sense of how it affects public interest at large. Then political parties will easily get covered under the RTI Act.
Alternatively, in the minimum, the ruling parties should be automatically covered under RTI because their actions impact public at large much more than the opposition parties. Of course, the definition of "ruling/opposition parties" will depend on the context of the RTI query, and whether it pertains to a particular state or the Centre.
Kishor Kulkarni, Mumbai
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