The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected a petition seeking permission for the general public and journalists to physically attend the proceedings of the Central Information Commission (CIC) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal refused to entertain the plea filed by journalists Saurav Das, Betwa Sharma, Vinita Deshmukh, Kunal Rajnikant Purohit and Mohit M Rao.
The High Court directed the petitioners to approach the CIC with a representation over the matter and ordered the Commission to decide expeditiously on the same.
Since the issue of allowing virtual access of CIC hearings to litigants and others was already pending before the Supreme Court, the petitioners should join the proceedings there and avoid multiplicity of hearings, it added.
The petitioners sought directions from the High Court to ensure that citizens, including journalists, were allowed to attend the CIC hearings, whether physically or virtually, without needing prior approval or special permission.
They apprised the Bench that they have already submitted a representation to the CIC on July 24, 2024, seeking public access to its proceedings. As per the petitioners, no action was taken on their request, compelling them to approach the High Court.
Filed through Advocates N Sai Vinod, Madhav Aggarwal and Kanu Garg, the petition contended that since the CIC performed important judicial functions, it must also uphold the transparency it expected from others. In-camera hearings undermined public accountability and obstructed informed civic participation, it added.
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