'Bar Councils open to scrutiny under RTI'

The Bar Councils are open to public scrutiny under the Right to Information Act (RTI) and should set-up a mechanism to facilitate processing of applications directed to them under the transparency law, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has held.

The Bar Council of India and Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana had rejected several RTI applications saying though they were set-up under the Advocates Act, 1961 they did not get direct or indirect funding from Government, hence out of the purview of the RTI Act.

However, the Commission in a recent order held that the councils might not have been financed by the Central or State governments but they were set-up under an Act passed by the Parliament and hence they are covered by the RTI Act.

'It is held that the Bar Councils - Bar Council of India and the State Bar Councils - are public authorities within the RTI Act...the Bar Councils are directed to take all necessary steps to carry out their duties and responsibilities assigned by the RTI Act,' Information Commissioner A N Tiwari said while directing them to respond to all RTI queries addressed
to them.

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