The Delhi high court said on Friday the purpose of Right to Information (RTI) Act is to bring in transparency, and if any information has been sought, it should be made public unless exempted from disclosure under the law.
The BJP has accused AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal of an "extravagant lifestyle" after an RTI reply revealed that Rs 3.69 crore was spent annually on maintaining his former bungalow. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva cited the RTI response, claiming that Kejriwal, who came to power on promises of serving the common man, is contradicting his promises with his lavish spending. The BJP is demanding an explanation from Kejriwal on the excessive maintenance costs.
Indian non-profit 'Educate Girls' wins the Ramon Magsaysay Award for its work in educating out-of-school girls in remote villages. The award recognizes selfless service to the peoples of Asia.
The FIR, filed in December 2022 by M G Nagaraja, alleged that the 24-year-old Paris Olympian, along with his brother Chirag Sen, had fudged their age to get into playing age-group tournaments since 2010.
The development follows a joint operation by Madhya Pradesh's State Tiger Strike Force, Rajasthan forest department, and Sawai Madhopur-based NGO Tiger Watch last month that led to the arrest of six poachers, including three from Rajasthan.
The court stated that creating an absolute bar on the disclosure of information to non-citizens would be contrary to the purpose and object of the RTI Act itself, and the same cannot be read into the legislation.
Patel emphasised that one of the most important features of the bill is the establishment of a dedicated tribunal for resolving disputes, reducing the burden on the judiciary and ensuring quicker justice.
Mumbai-based pharma major Wockhardt, which is gearing up to launch its promising antibiotic candidate Zaynich soon, on Friday announced a shift in its United States (US) operations. The Indian pharma giant revealed that it has decided to exit the generics pharmaceutical segment in the country.
It has granted states and the Centre three weeks to furnish the information, and posted the plea filed by RTI activist Anjali Bhardwaj for hearing after that.
It is sad that the legislative pre-consultation on such an important bill is being done in a very biased manner, notes Shailesh Gandhi, former Central Information Commissioner, recounting his experience with Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar.
Observing that the trial court conducted proceedings with a "predetermined notion of conviction", a division bench of Justices AS Supehia and Vimal K Vyas quashed the CBI court's order sentencing Solanki and the six others to life imprisonment.
Police have registered a cheating case against an alleged bogus doctor, who had also served as Bharatiya Janata Party Jabalpur medical cell's co-convener, after a complaint that he worked in a government hospital in Jabalpur on a fake degree, officials said.
The Supreme Court of India has ruled that using terms like "miyan-tiyan" and "Pakistani" does not constitute an offence of hurting religious sentiments, though the court acknowledged that such language is in "poor taste". The court discharged a man who had been accused of using these terms against an Urdu translator in Jharkhand.
The Congress party announced its intention to challenge the constitutionality of the recently passed Wakf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Supreme Court. AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that the party will "very soon" file a petition, citing concerns about the bill's impact on constitutional principles. Ramesh highlighted the Congress's ongoing legal challenges against other legislation, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), amendments to the Right to Information (RTI) Act, and changes to the Conduct of Election Rules. He emphasized the party's commitment to defending the Constitution's principles, provisions, and practices.
'Sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don't.' 'But you can use the RTI to improve the future.'
The Gujarat University on Thursday told the high court in Ahmedabad the Right to Information Act cannot be used for satisfying someone's "childish curiosity" as it defended its petition seeking quashing of an order under the transparency law to provide information on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) was forced to suspend the operation after flooding was reported at the underground Acharya Atre Chowk station.
During an open house discussion with stakeholders on the draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) bill 2022, Chandrasekhar said that the right to privacy is a fundamental right while the right to information is not. "Right to privacy is a fundamental right and right to information is not.
'...in the minds of the youth of Assam.' 'Now, no protests happen in Assam because of fear of police encounters.'
The CIC, the top appellate body in RTI matters, went through the law, orders of the Supreme Court, the Law Commission of India report, submissions of the Central Public Information Officer in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to conclude that the status, nature and functional characteristics of the BCCI fulfil required conditions of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday barred Karnataka Police from taking any coercive steps against badminton player Lakshya Sen, his family members, and coach over allegations of forging birth certificates.
President Droupadi Murmu has approved the registration of an FIR against AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain in an alleged scam of Rs 2,000 crore in the construction of classrooms in Delhi government schools. The alleged scam involves the construction of around 12,748 classrooms at an inflated cost, according to a report by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Delhi government. The ACB report alleged that the classrooms were constructed at a rate of Rs 8,800 per square feet, whereas the average construction cost was around Rs 1,500 per square feet. The President's approval came under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
How the teams stand in the T20 World Cup 2024.
The bank made a Rs 67 crore net profit, up 21% from the previous year. Its deposits grew 8%, the loan book 10%. Net bad loans dropped from 7.53% to 6.07%. So why was the banker, who headed the bank, not promoted?
Geetanjali Krishna explains why this may slow down India's fight against corruption.
While the BJP received the highest amount, securing Rs 1,685.63 crore, the Congress received Rs 828.36 crore, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rs 10.15 crore.
The dashboard system introduced by Modi has ensured that everyone gets information about ongoing schemes online without filing RTI applications, Shah said.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has criticized the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, calling it a 'brazen assault' on the Constitution and part of the BJP's strategy to keep society in a 'permanent state of polarization.' She also spoke out against the One Nation, One Election Bill, calling it a 'subversion of the Constitution.' Gandhi further accused the Modi government of ignoring the women's reservation bill and other demands for reservation, and of 'dragging the country into an abyss' where the Constitution will only exist on paper. She also criticized the government for limiting the speaking time of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and for not allowing discussions on important issues like the working of the defense and external affairs ministries and the challenges posed by China on the border.
The case lodged against him by one of the Customs officials is pending before the special judge, Thiruvananthapuram.
The Gujarat high court has suspended the life sentence of Shiva Solanki, an accused in the 2010 murder of RTI activist Amit Jethwa, and granted him bail pending hearing of his appeal against his conviction by a CBI court.
'Assuming he has a sensitive bug, which is responsive to antibiotics, it may not necessarily be the worst-case scenario.'
He allegedly hired a contract killing gang to eliminate Ramakrishnaiah, a police official said.
The RTI exemptions cited by the CPIO to deny information relate to intellectual property rights, trade secrets and information in the nature of commercial confidence, fiduciary relationship, threat to life and safety of persons who give information to law enforcement agencies in confidence, impediment to investigation, prosecution or apprehension and privacy of an individual.
Disclosing an individual's income-tax returns is tantamount to violating the person's fundamental right to privacy as recognised by the Constitution.
'Mamata needs to address the anger and resentment among various sections of the Hindu community because low-scale communal violence has always paid richer electoral dividends for the BJP.'
In the run-up to the assembly elections in Delhi, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal announced an Ambedkar scholarship for free foreign education of the city's Dalit students. The scholarship is a response to the BJP's "insult" of Ambedkar, Kejriwal said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah "insulted and made fun of Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar in Parliament. Crores of people who love Ambedkar were deeply pained," the former Delhi chief minister said. Kejriwal added that the scholarship is a response to the insult meted out by the BJP to the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Under the scheme, any Dalit student from Delhi will be able to receive education in foreign universities. If they get admission in any such university, the Delhi government will bear the entire cost of their education, travel and accommodation. Children of government employees will also be eligible for the scheme.
The Law Commission had said that the BCCI should be brought under the RTI Act, noting that it falls under the definition of a public authority which has received substantial financing from the government.
'Not disclosing information to the public indicates that there is something wrong with Project Cheetah.'
'This amendment, if passed, will bring the Information Commission firmly under the authority of the government.'
Dominic Xavier mulls over the intriguing puzzle why the PM-CARES fund is opposed to the transparency guaranteed by the RTI.
