CJI irked by RTI applications on lunches, trivial issues

Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia on Thursday expressed anguish over a spate of RTI applications that sought information about him. The problem was going “beyond a limit”, he added.

Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia on Thursday expressed anguish over a spate of RTI applications that sought information about him. The problem was going “beyond a limit”, he added.

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The CJI’s displeasure came during a hearing by a Constitution bench headed by him on the issue of laying down guidelines for the media on covering court proceedings.

“In RTI matters, I have given all disclosures except in certain areas. Still questions are coming,” he said, stating that some of them pertained to invitations for lunch and his association with eminent jurist Nani Palkhivala.

“Different kinds of information are being sought. We have to save this institution of judiciary also, not just the press. We cannot accept all these. It is going beyond a limit. There should be some limit to all this,” the CJI observed.

He said that though the RTI law served a useful purpose, there should be a limit to information being sought on trivial issues. Justice Kapadia also expressed anguish over a newspaper analysis of the issues arising from the judgement cancelling the 2G licences.

He said a reputed newspaper has done the analysis of a presidential reference that

had not reached the court and wasn’t sub-judice either.