Supreme Court Defers Hearing on RTI Inclusion for Political Parties

The Supreme Court has deferred the final hearing on two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) that aim to bring major political parties under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. This move is intended to ensure accountability and restrict the use of black money during elections.

The bench, including Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, was scheduled to hear the petitions filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO, and lawyer Ashwini Updhyay. The Chief Justice, demitting office on May 13, noted that the pleas would remain on the board for a hearing potentially on May 15.

The PILs request that political parties be declared 'public authorities' under the RTI Act, which would require them to disclose their funding sources and ensure compliance with electoral laws. The Central Information Commission has previously ruled that parties should be accountable under the RTI, amidst allegations of indirect funding and misuse of public funds by political entities.

(With inputs from agencies.)