Citizens Do Not Have Right To Information Regarding Political Donations: Govt tells SC
New Delhi: The Attorney General of India, R Venkataramani, submitted before the Supreme Court in the electoral bonds case that citizens do not possess the right to access information about political party funding under Article 19(1)(a).
He disputed the petitioners’ claim that citizens have the right to know the source of political party funding, stating that there is no general right to unrestricted information and that the right to know must serve specific purposes. He also clarified that judgments related to candidates’ criminal antecedents should not be extrapolated to imply a right to information about party funding.
According to him, these judgments were intended to help citizens make informed choices about candidates, not to provide broad access to information. The Attorney General further asserted that if there is no right under Article 19(1)(a), the question of reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2) does not apply.
He defended the electoral bonds scheme, stating that it doesn’t violate existing rights and encourages clean money contributions while adhering to tax obligations. Additionally, he argued that the testing of a new law should be subject to public and parliamentary debates, emphasizing that the court’s role is not to create guidelines but to review state actions that violate existing rights. (BW)
