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Speaker disagrees with CJI's views on RTI applicability
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SPECIALCORRESPONDENT on 21 April, 2008 06:00:00
 
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Monday disagreed with Chief
Justice of India K G Balakrishnan's views that the Right to Information Act was
not applicable to his office.
"I am not questioning the Chief Justice. He is a high constitutional
functionary. But since you ask me, I feel we should not keep anything back from
people," he told reporters when asked about the CJI's views. Chatterjee said
that in a democracy people occupy the central position and insisted that once
such information is denied, then there is scope for speculation which may affect
the credibility of the institution.
Disputing Balakrishnan's views that Constitutional functionaries are not
covered under the RTI, the Speaker said, "Everything is under the Constitution
or should be under the Constitution. The question is whether people are entitled
to know." "The Constitutional position of people's right to know has been
recognised under the RTI Act," he said noting that it has been brought for the
purpose of enforcement.
The refrain of the Speaker, who has been forthright in airing his views on
judicial activism, was that, "we should not keep anything back from people" as
they have the right to know in a democracy. (PTI)