Provisions of RTI Act for information regarding private bodies through regulatory bodies be publicised
Central government should put all Public-Private-Partnerships PPPs, sports-bodies, cooperative-societies and other such bodies affecting lives of millions to be directly under RTI Act to effectively check massive misuse of public-funds by their office-bearers. It is necessary because all such bodies approach High Courts to obtain ex-party stay-orders on CIC-verdicts declaring them under RTI Act.
Retired Chief Information Commission RK Mathur in a CIC-verdict noted that Institute of Banking Personnel Selection IBPS is not a public-authority under RTI Act even though four million candidates appear every year for examinations conducted by it. Regulatory authorities like Reserve Bank of India RBI, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI, and Security and Exchange Board of India SEBI should make public aware through advertisements and websites about provisions of section 2(f) of RTI Act whereby people can raise RTI queries about private banks, telecom-companies etc through regulatory authorities to effectively check usual malpractices of private banks, telecom-companies and others.
Co-operative giant IFFCO through which annual fertiliser-subsidy of rupees thousands of crores is routed gifted prime-properties worth rupees hundreds of crores in New Delhi to its office-bearers with even Comptroller and Auditor General report pointing out massive irregularities in functioning of IFFCO.
BCCI challenged CIC-verdict ordering it as public-authority under RTI Act at Madras High Court despite Union Ministry of Sports supporting CIC-verdict in this respect. It is noteworthy that even Law Commission on being approached by central government subsequent to Supreme Court directions, opined in favour of BCCI to be under purview of RTI Act.
MADHU AGRAWAL