Latest news with #RTIAct
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bengaluru's Century Club is ‘public authority', will have to provide information under RTI Act: Karnataka High Court
The Karnataka High Court has held that Century Club, located on 7.5 acres of land provided by the then Maharaja of Mysore near Cubbon Park in Bengaluru, is a public authority and hence comes under the purview of the Right To Information (RTI) Act. The order was passed on July 8 by a Bench consisting of Justice Suraj Govindaraj, dismissing a petition by the Club. The Century Club moved the High Court challenging a Karnataka Information Commission ruling in 2018 that ordered the club to provide a lawyer a certified copy of certain records in 2012 under the RTI Act. The club had earlier denied the lawyer, S Umapathy, the records, stating that it was not a 'public authority' as defined under the RTI Act. The club's counsel argued before the High Court that merely because the initial 7.5 acres of land for the club was provided by the Maharaja in 1913, it would not amount to 'substantial financing' by the state government. He argued that, as per Supreme Court precedent, for it to be a case of substantial funding, the body ought to be primarily run by it. On the other hand, the land was granted by the Maharaja as the club's patron, while the club was run by member dues, the counsel said. The Bench observed that it was the state's land and not personal property that was granted. 'There is no payment which has been made by the petitioner-club to the Maharaja of Mysore or the Kingdom of Mysore. The grant made in the name of the Maharaja of Mysore would also indicate that it is not the personal property of the Maharaja of Mysore,' the Bench stated. Umapathy argued that 'substantial funding' existed as the club could not exist without the land. He added that as the Maharaja was the head of a princely state, the same would count as a grant made by the government. He also raised the fact that the land in the centre of the city was of considerable value. Upholding the Karnataka Information Commission's initial finding, the Bench stated, 'if the valuation of the land of 7.5 acres as on today is taken into consideration, the same would run into hundreds of crores if not thousands, the contribution made by the members of the petitioners-club, as membership fees or any other head of account pales into insignificance. In that view of the matter, it is clearly and categorically established that there is a substantial contribution made by the State through the Maharaja of Mysore, who granted 7.5 acres of land to the petitioner-club in 1913, thereby making the provisions of the RTI Act applicable.'
New Indian Express
10 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Century Club is public authority under RTI Act, upholds Karnataka HC
BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday declared that the Century Club is a public authority under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Justice Suraj Govindaraj passed the order dismissing a petition filed by Century Club, questioning the order passed by the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) declaring the club as a public authority. Advocate S Umapathy had filed the application to the club, seeking certain documents under the RTI Act in 2012, and the club in November of the same year informed him that it is not a public authority as defined under Section 2(4) of the Act, and therefore, there is no necessity to furnish the said information to him. Against this, Umapathy moved the KIC in 2013 on the ground that the Maharaja of Mysore, having provided a free grant of 7.5 acres of land abutting Cubbon Park to Century Club, amounts to substantial indirect finance by the state and therefore, the club would be covered under the RTI Act. However, the Century Club contended before the KIC that though the land had been granted by the then Maharaja of Mysore, the same cannot be construed as substantially financing the club, which is an independent society, and it cannot come within the purview of the RTI Act. Rejecting it, the KIC on March 14, 2018, passed the order impugned, directing the club to furnish the information. Therefore, the club moved the HC in 2018.
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Sue me': Parab dares Kadam after dance bar allegation
Mumbai: A day after junior home minister Yogesh Kadam warned that he would move a privilege notice against him for linking him to a Kandivli dance bar and alleged illegal sand mining in Ratnagiri, Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab on Tuesday dared him to do that and file a defamation suit, saying it would give him a platform to prove the charges he has levelled. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Demanding Kadam's ouster, Parab said he will submit all documents and pen drives showing proof of his involvement to CM Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday. He said Fadnavis should seek the Sena minister's resignation because party chief and deputy CM Eknath Shinde would not initiate any action on his own. He said if the CM fails to act, he will move high court. Kadam maintained that he had no connection to the bar and that it was under his direction that police had acted against such establishments. "If I had any vested interest, I would have ensured no action was taken against this particular bar." Last week, Parab had claimed in the legislative council that police had in May raided a dance bar in Kandivli whose license was issued in the name of Kadam's mother and that he diverted sand meant for farmers from a river in Ratnagiri, his home district, to a dental college linked to his family. On Tuesday, he reiterated the allegations. "...There were women dancing [in the bar]. Money was being thrown. All this information is in police records and the FIR. I got this information under RTI Act. Therefore, it cannot be false. When the raid was conducted, action was taken against 22 bar dancers, 22 customers and four employees." Trashing Kadam's claim that he was not aware of the bar's operations, Parab said, "They (Kadam and family) say they do not run the dance bar. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As per the law, if a staffer or someone authorised by the owner commits a misdemeanour, the responsibility lies with the owner." Alleging that all rules on bar operations have been violated, he said Kadam's father, former minister Ramdas Kadam, sought to quell the controversy by claiming that there should not be a dispute since the bar is in his wife's name. "The minister goes as far as Navi Mumbai to raid dance bars calling them obscene and anti-social, but a dance bar licensed in his mother's name is running. Who will take action against it?" On the alleged diversion of sand, Parab said, "Sand was supposed to be removed from Mahadev river, but the company was removing it from Savitri river... After I raised the issue, the removal of sand was stopped." Dismissing Parab's charges as "baseless and defamatory", Kadam said he would write to the legislative council chairperson, demanding that the MLC's remarks in the House be expunged since they were made in his absence, thereby amounting to a violation of legislative rules.
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
On death row, he battled from jail with RTI blitz before acquittal in 11/7 Mumbai train blasts case
New Delhi: Death row convict Ehtesham Qutubuddin Siddiqui in the 2006 Mumbai serial train blasts case battled from jail using a stream of RTI pleas and legal challenges before Delhi high court . Bombay high court overturned his conviction Monday, citing lack of evidence. But he had tried to build his defence long before the verdict came. Siddiqui routinely petitioned Delhi courts, contesting denials under RTI Act. His RTI applications and legal fights targeted confidential govt documents and intelligence dossiers, in a campaign he claimed was critical to proving procedural lapses in his prosecution. In 2020, Siddiqui moved Delhi HC through advocate Arpit Bhargava, questioning the timing of Maharashtra govt's sanction for his prosecution. The sanction was granted in Jan 2007, while the official notification came only in June. He sought through RTI all proposal documents and file noting from Union home ministry to show the approval was "wrongly granted". You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The following year, he pursued access to a 2009 IB report allegedly recommending a relook at the evidence in the blasts case. While IB told central information commission no such report existed, Siddiqui challenged CIC's order in HC, accusing it of "blindly" trusting the agency's claim. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo HC asked IB to clarify whether any such report was ever prepared and shared with the home ministry. Ultimately, the court upheld CIC's decision, stressing that intelligence documents related to terrorism were exempt under RTI Act. It cited national security and sovereignty as overriding concerns. Siddiqui didn't stop. He filed RTIs for "background notes" and reports from Centre and states, including Gujarat, Delhi, and Andhra Pradesh, concerning the 2008 ban on Indian Mujahideen — the group allegedly behind the bombings. When denied, he again challenged CIC's ruling. Delhi HC sided with CIC and said disclosing such sensitive records would endanger public safety and national interests. "The information sought… would have a bearing on the sovereignty and security of the country," the bench ruled. In 2019, Siddiqui turned to HC once more, saying he retained the right to access free education as a prisoner. He cited several Ignou courses completed from Nagpur central jail, and sought more books and study material under RTI. HC agreed, directing the jail superintendent to provide the requested books either physically or in soft copy.
Deccan Herald
a day ago
- Deccan Herald
RTI Act applicable to Bengaluru Century Club, rules Karnataka HC
In 2012, S Umapathy, a Bengaluru-based advocate, had filed an application to the club under the RTI seeking a certified copy of the list of records duly catalogued and indexed as required to be maintained under the RTI Act.
