CBI's exemption from RTI challenged
24 Jun 2011
The Madras High Court today issued a notice to the union government on a public interest litigation seeking declaration of a recent notification exempting the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from the purview of Right to Information Act as ultra vires of the Constitution.
A bench comprising chief justice MY Eqbal and justice T S Sivagnanam directed additional solicitor general M Ravindran, who received the notice on behalf of the union government, to get instructions from the centre within three weeks.
Petitioner S Vijayalakshmi, an RTI activist, challenged the 9 June notification issued by the centre which exempted the CBI from Central Act 22 of 2005 (Right To Information Act).
The court, however, declined a stay on the notification as sought by the petitioner and has posted the matter for further hearing after three weeks.
The notices come against the backdrop of former CBI directors voicing reservations about the centre's decision to exclude the agency from the purview of the RTI Act.
The CBI had been removed from the scope of the RTI Act earlier this month, on the plea that petitions seeking information on the status of cases were detrimental to the investigations.
.webp)
