The Union Cabinet has cleared two amendments to the transparency Act to keep political parties out of ambit of RTI Act and just to negate and to counter the Central Information Commission order that six national political parties :Congress, BJP, BSP, NCP, CPI and CPM are public authorities, this order will allow the RTI Act applicable on them. The bill is likely to be brought in the monsoon session of Parliament , while the Civil society activists are gearing up for an offensive against the government's proposed legislation to exclude political parties from the ambit of the RTI Act.
Besides petitions to parliamentarians, the PM and the President, urging them not to support the amendments, activists plan to hold protest demonstrations and ultimately to challenge the legislation in court as a last resort. Inspite of many "petitions of opposition" by many eminent citizens, the government is fairly confident of smooth passage of the RTI bill.
Activists plan to challenge the proposed legislation on the grounds that it is against the constitutional right to freedom of speech. There has been a precedent earlier when the Supreme Court struck down an similar amendment to the Representation of People's Act, in 2002 and directed candidates to submit their financial details and criminal antecedents before the Election Commission of India, calling the the amendment was in violation of the constitutional right to freedom of speech.