PRIVILEGES COMMITTEE - 'Parliament RTI query must specify the reasons'
By PARUL CHANDRA
New Delhi
Parliament may want the judiciary to come under the Right to
Information (RTI) scanner. But it wants certain concessions while coming
under scrutiny by the common man under the very same act.
This is evident in the suggestion made by the Lok Sabha privileges committee
which has suggested that the RTI Act 2005 be amended so that an applicant
seeking information or documents from Parliament will have to specify the
reasons for asking thus. Under the present rules, applicants do not have to
state the reasons for seeking information which also includes the
Parliament.
In the case of judiciary, the standing committee on personnel, public
grievances and law and justice's report was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.
It clearly states that the judiciary comes under the purview of the RTI. It
had observed that "all three wings of state executive, legislature and
judiciary - are fully covered under this act, since all organs of the state
are accountable to the citizens of India in a democratic state".
With regard to the Parliament, the privileges committee has also said that
if the Speaker feels that the information or documents sought under the RTI
"has the potential to call in question the proceedings of the House or of
any committee of the House in any court, he may be empowered to refer such a
request to the Committee of Privileges for examination and report".
In yet another concession to Parliament, the committee has suggested that if
a reference is made to it, the time limit of 30 days for furnishing a reply
under the RTI may not applicable to it. And that the information or
documents sought may be provided "only if so recommended by the Committee of
Privileges and agreed to by the House".
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