New Delhi The office of the Chief Justice of India comes under the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Central Information Commission (CIC) chief Wajahat Habibullah said on Wednesday.
Habibullah was addressing a seminar on 'Working of Right to Information Act Issues and Challenges' at Observer Research Foundation in the Capital.
"The CIC would soon hear some petitions pending on the issue," said Habibullah while delivering a talk on "Working of RTI Act issues and challenges" he said.
A law officer for the Supreme Court has argued before a Commission bench that judges' declaration of assets was an in-house voluntary agreement and not accessible to public under the RTI Act.
It’s an issue on which the Commission has reserved its decision.
Habibullah's remarks may be viewed in the context of a controversy sparked by CJI K G Balakrishnan's assertion seven months ago that his office does not come under the RTI Act.
A Parliamentary Committee on Ministry of Law and Justice held a few days later that all constitutional authorities, including the CJI, came under the ambit of the RTI Act.
A few weeks later, the CIC said it would take up the issue in a full bench hearing soon.
Habibullah's talk also touched on other aspects of the RTI. He said he had discussions with the Lok Sabha speaker and officials of the Rajya Sabha secretariat to improve flow of information regarding the functioning of members of parliament.
"The purview of the RTI has gone beyond central and state governments, encompassing any body which has received government funding. This includes institutions like distribution companies, stock exchanges and aided schools," he added.
Habibullah described the Official Secrets Act of 1923 as "complete anachronism" and said that commission has suggested to the government to repeal it but no progress has been made on the issue.
He said the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has also been brought under the RTI Act, which rural people are using.
Habibullah said the RTI purview went beyond Central and State governments, encompassing any body which receives government funding.
This, he said, included such institutions as Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Distcoms, Stock Exchanges and aided schools.
He stressed the need to modify government officials' training which has conditioned them not to share government information with the public even though their salaries are paid by taxpayers.
He said the RTI Act has become a powerful tool, even for the weak and illiterate people, to get information otherwise out of reach.
''This is the Act people can use and will use,'' he said, adding that slum dwellers and women have been its largest users. He listed its utility in enforcement of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
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