Parties will have to show I-T returns
Info Panel Ruling Will Boost Transparency In Funding …..TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: In order to avoid disclosing their income tax returns, political parties have attempted to ward off RTI queries, calling appellants busybodies or claiming parties were not public authority. But not any longer. These excuses have been swept aside by the Central Information Commission (CIC).
In a recent order, the CIC held that all political parties should disclose their income tax returns on a request filed by an NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms. The decision, which will end the resistance of parties, is being viewed as a blow for transparency as it increases scrutiny into funding of political parties, a perpetual source of speculation.
Citing the report of the national commission to review the working of the Constitution, information commissioner A N Tiwari said political parties must be subjected to statutory audit of the amounts they spend. Accounts should be monitored, he said.
MPs want to keep info under wraps
MPs want to keep info under wraps
A parliamentary committees recommendations may make it extremely difficult for the common citizen to access information or documents from the Lok Sabha.
The privileges committee has said that all applications under the Right to Information (RTI) act should state reasons for seeking the data in question. It has cited the procedures adopted in dealing with requests from courts and agencies like the police and CBI to justify raising such a barrier. P 10
Not just CJI, all SC judges outside RTI
New Delhi: The Central Information Commission, which asked political parties to disclose their income tax returns, made it clear that political parties cannot claim special privileges while being very much a part of public life.
Not just CJI, all SC judges outside RTI
The Supreme Court registry has claimed immunity for all judges under the RTI. Responding to an RTI query, the SCs central public information officer sought to cast a veil of secrecy over all matters relating to the judges code of conduct, complaints against them and their assets. P 10
YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW
Cong, BJP, NCP against income tax disclosuresNew Delhi: The Central Information Commission, which asked political parties to disclose their income tax returns, made it clear that political parties cannot claim special privileges while being very much a part of public life.
Referring to various Supreme Court rulings, information commissioner A N Tiwari Tiwari said there was public interest in knowing the funding of political parties. Given that political parties… exercise power, transparency in their organisation, functions and their means of funding is a democratic imperative, and is in the public interest, the order said.
The I-T authorities, in response to the RTI plea, had claimed that information containing details of commercial activities of political parties was exempt under the RTI Act.
Interestingly, among political parties, only communist parties had no objection to the disclosure of their returns. The Congress called the appellant a busybody having mala fide intent and said information was being sought for ulterior motives. The Bahujan Samaj Party said there was no public interest in parting with such confidential information while theNationalist Congress Party maintained it was not a public body. The NCP argued that the information related to profit and loss was personal and disclosure would warrant invasion of privacy. The BJP and DMK also gave similar reasons while refusing to provide the NGO with their returns.
On its part the CIC has held that the Permanent Account Number of political parties, whose I-T returns are to be divulged, should not be disclosed as there was a possibility of the information being misused.
Not surprisingly, given the near-total unity of the political class, the law and justice ministry had refused to express its opinion on the subject saying these could be in conflict with the interest of the public authority against whom CIC may pass an order in this regard.
In pursuance of a similar notice, the Election Commission had said the political parties were not required to furnish information about their I-T returns to it under the law.However, it said the EC had submitted a proposal suggesting amendment in the statutes so as to make it mandatory for political parties to publish their audited accounts for scrutiny of the general public.