Bring judges under RTI purview: Activists

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Keywords: Arvind Kejriwal, YK Sabharwal

New Delhi: CNN-IBN's exclusive report on some judges using official trips to holiday, has sparked off the debate - should judges be above the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act?

RTI activists say there is every reason why the RTI Act should apply to the higher judiciary as well.

Questions are now being asked in South Block, too, following the expose on Supreme Court judges.

Records obtained under the RTI shows judges have been converting work trips to holidays, taking long detours and are accompanied by their wives while traveling abroad.

At present there are no travel guidelines for the judiciary and the Bar Council of India is suggesting a course correction.

"I think the judges must pay or should pay the amount to the government," Bar Council of India Chairman SNP Sinha said in Patna on Wednesday.

Under the RTI, CNN-IBN found that for Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan's 11-day trip to Pretoria, South Africa in August 2007 the route was - Delhi, Dubai, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Capetown, Johannesburg, Victoria Falls, where the judge finally didn't go and back to Delhi via Dubai.

Former chief justice YK Sabharwal attended three conferences in 2005 to Edinburgh, Washington and Paris. While the conferences lasted 11 days, Sabharwal was out for 38 days with 21 days converted into a private visit.

The travel plan included a detour from Washington to Baltimore, Orlando and Atlanta, before rejoining the conference route in Paris.

The First Class air fare for Sabharwal's entire trip was paid by the government.

Activists are now renewing the debate on the RTI act applying to judges as well

RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal said: "It only underscores why the RTI needs to be applied to judges and judiciary."

Just like Caesar’s wife should be above suspicion, RTI activists are demanding that SC judges too should be seen to be accountable.

(With inputs from Prabhakar Kumar)