Political parties should not be brought under the ambit of the Right to Information Act by terming them 'public authorities', as this would not only hamper their smooth working but help political rivals to file pleas with malicious intention to seek information, the government told the Supreme Court on Monday.
An FIR has been registered against three persons including a block development officer after Amarnath Pandey, 55, an RTI activist and homoeopathy doctor, was fired at yesterday with a country made pistol, they said, adding he was admitted to a hospital.
Against the backdrop of allegations of spot-fixing during IPL matches, Union Minister Ajay Maken said the Board Of Control For Cricket In India - the national governing body for cricket in India - should come under the ambit of the RTI Act.
Data from the Central Information Commission, the apex body that hears complaints regarding denial of information under RTI, shows that corporate houses are increasingly using RTI to extract information from public authorities.
The report said Sasikala was allowed to wear her personal clothes and cook. A pressure cooker and spices were found in her prison cell.
Major political parties on Thursday vehemently opposed any move to bring them under the ambit of the Right to Information Act saying that facilities and subsidised buildings given for their offices do not constitute funding from the government.
Board of Control for Cricket in India's new president Shashank Manohar on Sunday says the Board does not fall under the purview of the Right to Information Act (RTI).
The records with a parliamentary committee can be provided to an RTI applicant once the report is tabled on the floor of the House, the CIC held on New Delhi, but exempted cases where documents are declared confidential.
Tearing into the claims of the United Progressive Alliance about its flagship employment generation programme MNREGA, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Tuesday alleged it had only "filled the pockets of Congress" and sought to debunk the much-touted RTI.
The cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav decided to keep the Lokayukta out of the purview of the RTI Act, a senior official said.
He drew the roadmap of India's economic reform, unshackled it from the licence raj and pulled it back from the brink when even its gold reserve was pledged.
With the Central Information Commission holding that political parties are answerable to citizens under the Right to Information, Union Minister Salman Khurshid said on Tuesday it is important to keep a practical control of RTI objectives as they cannot be allowed to "run riot".
An RTI applicant had sought information 'as to how much more time it would take for Sebi to complete the investigation in the matter of Cal Refineries' and at which stage the probe was, but the regulator declined to share any details saying that it was not a fit case for RTI Act.
The Central Information Commission has turned down a plea of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict A G Perarivalan seeking the records carrying the reasons for the rejection his clemency petition
Delhi Police on Thursday arrested another person in connection with the city's biggest-ever drug haul with investigators finding that the main accused had alleged links with leaders of a national political party, officials said.
The government on Friday defended its decision to amend the Right To Information Act to keep political parties out of the purview of the ombudsman, saying they are not "public authorities" but voluntary association of people.
The data, which was shared by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in response to an RTI query from PTI, also stated that 686 children living in child care institutions (CCIs) have been infected with COVID-19 so far this year.
The former information commissioner, who is known for his pro-transparency orders in several high-profile cases, said the proposed changes "seriously undermine" the autonomy of information commissions.
Beleaguered Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's political credibility will be tested by the outcome of the three by-elections. And cries that he must resign will become shriller if the Congress loses them.
Terming the charges against him a "BJP conspiracy", Siddaramaiah said he would wage a legal fight.
Interestingly, both the agencies wrongfully cited section 24 of the RTI Act for denial of response to the petitioner.
Uncertainty prevailed in major political parties including the ruling Congress and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party over whether to appoint an officer who can share information with public under the Right To Information Act as the six-week deadline given by the Central Information Commission to designate such officers ended on Monday.
The controversy was triggered by a reply from the ministry of home affairs to an RTI filed by a Kolkata resident.
Cutting across parties, members of the state legislative assembly on Friday unanimously resolved to dismiss the notice under the RTI Act as "breach of privilege".
The CIC has ruled that judicial proceedings of all courts and tribunals are beyond the purview of the Right to Information Act.The bench said 'The Judiciary is independent and all courts and tribunals must work independently and without interference.
In apparent violation of a government circular, the Indian Air Force has said it is not accepting Right To Information fee drawn in favour of the "Accounts Officer".
The new rules have given discretion to government to decide on allowances or service conditions not specifically covered by the 2019 rules which would be 'binding'.
The Right to Information should not be limited to right to know but it should empower every citizen to question those in power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.
The Karnataka CM is facing allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife Parvathi B M by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia on Thursday expressed anguish over a spate of Right to Information applications seeking various information about him and other judges saying, "it is going beyond a limit".
'All the big things happening today in economic development have their beginning in Dr Manmohan Singh's ideas.'
Unfazed by Nitin Gadkari's legal notice over her statement -- that he did not want her to pursue the irrigation scam in Maharashtra -- RTI activist Anjali Damania has said she will not tender a public apology to the Bharatiya Janata Party president. "I received the defamation notice last evening around 6 pm. He (Gadkari) said if I apologise, he won't file a suit against me. But I refuse to give an apology, because whatever I said is true," the RTI activist said.
A Right to Information activist Arun Sawant was critically injured after being shot by two unidentified men in Thane.
The activist, Bhupendra Vira, who had been fighting against land mafia, unauthorised structures and encroachments in and around Kalina, was attacked on Saturday night.
'Whoever is doing it (threats to airlines), they are actually carrying out a recce.' 'This is the manner in which terrorists strike.'
The murder of RTI activist Shehla Masood appears to be a "crime of passion" and whether it was part of any larger conspiracy is still a matter of investigation, Central Bureau of Investigation officials said on Tuesday.
Anand Prakash Tripathi approached the Indian Institute of Technology seeking a 20-year-old record of students that had qualified the Joint Entrance Examination with details including their age, caste and mark sheets.
One of the questions in his application was 'Can we do it without Will Smith?'
The CIC has invited only seven RTI activists -- Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Shekhar Singh, Amrita Johri, Anjali Bharadwaj, Venkatesh Nayak and Lokesh Batra -- for the function to be held on Friday.
The Sports Ministry is pinning its hope on the Central Information Commission to bring the Board of Control for Crickt in India under the purview of the Right To Information Act. Sports Minister Ajay Maken said he has appealed to the CIC to bring the BCCI under RTI for varied reasons.
