The Supreme Court has postponed the hearing on PILs demanding RTI coverage for major political parties. The pleas aim to boost transparency and reduce black money in Indian elections.
New Delhi: Today, On May 8, The Supreme Court of India has postponed the final hearing on two important Public Interest Litigations (PILs) that aim to make all major political parties come under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
These petitions have been filed to increase transparency, promote accountability, and reduce the use of black money during elections.
The petitions were filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a well-known non-governmental organisation (NGO) working for electoral reforms, and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, a public interest litigator.
They want political parties to be legally required to share important information with the public, just like government departments, under the RTI law.
On Thursday, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was supposed to hear these PILs. However, the hearing did not take place.
Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who will retire from office on May 13, said,
“These pleas will not be taken up for hearing now,”
and added that
“they will remain on board and may be heard on May 15.”
The PILs are considered highly significant because they could change the way political parties function in terms of financial transparency and public accountability.
Currently, political parties in India are not directly answerable under the RTI Act, which activists say allows them to hide their funding sources and other important details.
Bringing them under RTI could help curb the growing influence of black money in Indian politics and ensure cleaner elections.
The Supreme Court’s decision to delay the hearing means the matter is still open and will be taken up at a later date.
The petitioners and citizens waiting for a strong step towards transparent political funding will now have to wait until May 15, the next possible date for the hearing.
This legal battle is a part of a broader movement for electoral reforms in India. Transparency advocates have long been arguing that since political parties play a key role in a democracy, they should be treated as public authorities under the RTI Act.
If the Court rules in favour of the petitions, it could lead to a major shift in Indian electoral practices.
Until then, the case continues to be watched closely by legal experts, civil society organisations, and the general public, hoping for a judgment that strengthens democratic values in the country.
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