Supreme Court Hear Pleas On Bringing Political Parties Under Right to Information

The Supreme Court has scheduled pleas in April seeking directions to bring all recognized political parties under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The petition by the NGO Association For Democratic Reforms said the Central Information Commission (CIC) in 2013 & 2015 had directed this to ensure transparency in the political system.

However, parties like BJP, Congress, and CPI(M) resisted the disclosure because of internal decision-making.

Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay said political parties are ‘Public Authority’ under section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005  reading with the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution with Sections 29A, 29B, and 29C of the RPA.

The court directed to complete pleadings before April 21.