High Court rules Games committee,IOA to be under RTI

The Delhi High Court on Thursday ruled that the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee and the Indian Olympic Association...

The Delhi High Court on Thursday ruled that the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) came under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and have to provide information to an applicant.

Dismissing the appeals of the Games Organising Committee and the IOA against the Central Information Commissions (CIC) order to provide information,Justice Ravinder Bhatt ruled that both were public authorities under the RTI Act and so could not keep their accounts private.

The model chosen by the government of ensuring spread of welfare and its benefits includes functioning through non-government agencies,who are tasked and assisted for this purpose. The crucial role of access to information here cannot be understated, the bench said.

Story continues below this ad

The CGOC had contended that it was an independent and autonomous body but the court ruled the issues of indirect funding or no direct governmental control over their functioning could not undermine the significance of dissemination of information. The central government ,however,had said that almost the whole budgetary support to the Games project was provided by the government and so the committee could not take the plea of being an independent body.

The IOA is a registered society. No doubt,there is no state or public involvement in its establishment and it does not receive grants as is traditionally understood. But the funds and the other interests incurred by the association are accountable, the ruling said.

The CIC in November 2006 held that the IOA was a public authority and directed it to provide the particulars of expenses incurred by it on tours in connection with the Commonwealth Games.