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.
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.
'Modi is trying avenues to convince people why they should vote for the BJP.'
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 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.
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.
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".
'It was specifically mentioned in the Gadgil Committee report that this particular area where the colossal landside happened now should be in the Environmentally Sensitive Area under Zone 1.' 'Zone 1 is the most important and ecologically sensitive area, and that it has to be protected entirely.' 'At least 90% of the Wayanad disaster is man-made.'
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
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.
'Modi knows the people here are opposed to this project, but he is using the might of government to push this port down our throats.'
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 controversy was triggered by a reply from the ministry of home affairs to an RTI filed by a Kolkata resident.
Maharashtra transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar told PTI that the Porsche car was imported in March by a dealer in Bengaluru and from there it was sent to Maharashtra on a temporary registration.
Every passenger gets 55 per cent concession on train journeys, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said regarding demands to restore pre-Covid fare concessions for senior citizens and media persons.
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 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 ECI data covers 20,421 bonds worth Rs 12,769 crore. The ADR data, however, collated information on 27,811 bonds worth Rs 16,492 crore. The gap is nearly Rs 4,000 crore and involves over 7,000 bonds.
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".
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 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.
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".
The activist, Bhupendra Vira, who had been fighting against land mafia, unauthorised structures and encroachments in and around Kalina, was attacked on Saturday night.
One of the questions in his application was 'Can we do it without Will Smith?'
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.
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 Supreme Court on Wednesday referred to the constitution bench a plea raising questions whether the apex court was exempted from disclosing information on appointment of judges and other matters under the Right to Information Act.
A Right to Information activist Arun Sawant was critically injured after being shot by two unidentified men in Thane.
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.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wife Jashodaben has filed an appeal under the Right to Information act after she was denied information by Mehsana district police saying that all queries about the protection given to her were related to local intelligence bureau, which is exempted under RTI Act.
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.
The BJP is hopeful that the issue will come in handy in its efforts to gain political traction in the Dravidian territory during the Lok Sabha polls, more so as it involves neighbouring Sri Lanka whose treatment of its own Tamilian citizens and Tamil Nadu fishermen has long been a charged political issue in the state.
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.
In a landmark ruling to ensure transparency in the functioning of political parties, the Central Information Commission on Monday held that the parties are public authorities and answerable to citizens under RTI Act.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for the petitioners in the court, said at least 30 shell companies purchased electoral bonds worth over Rs 143 crore.
In April 2016, the then CIC M Sridhar Acharyulu had directed the Delhi University and the Gujarat University to provide information to Kejriwal on the degrees that Modi received.
An RTI query seeking details of expenses incurred by the Centre on hosting US President Barack Obama earlier this year has been rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs on the ground that such information is sensitive and may affect bilateral relations with the foreign country.
In response to an RTI query filed by Gulzaar Azmi, general secretary (legal cell) of a socio-cultural organisation, Jamiat Ulama-E-Maharashtra, it was found that Sadashiv Abhimanyu Patil, a constable attached to Nashik unit of ATS, had sent Rs 1,000 thrice to accused Abrar Ahmed through money order in August, September and November 2008 from his residential address at police headquarters in Nashik.
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