The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a sharp rebuke to a Right to Information (RTI) activist while refusing anticipatory bail to him and another accused in a case linked to the alleged obstruction of road construction work in Punjab.
Court's Strong Remarks on RTI Misuse
A bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi rejected the plea of RTI activist Rakesh Kumar Behl and his aide, questioning their authority to monitor government-funded infrastructure projects.
During the hearing, Justice Mehta criticised what he described as the growing misuse of RTI. "RTI activism has become a new business. The Central government has issued funds, it will take care of the construction of the road. You are nobody. So-called RTI activist! Yellow journalism. Dismissed," he said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Justice Bishnoi observed, "Who are you to monitor the construction of all these roads? Are you some superior authority or what?"
Background of the Case
Behl had approached the apex court after the Punjab and Haryana High Court declined to grant him anticipatory bail. His counsel argued that he and the co-accused had been falsely implicated because they had exposed alleged corruption in the road construction project.
According to the FIR, Behl and another accused, Rajiv Kumar alias Mintu, allegedly obstructed ongoing road construction work in Batala, in Punjab's Gurdaspur district. The complaint alleges that they interfered with the execution of the project, intimidated the supervising official and labourers at the site, used derogatory remarks against a worker and caused injuries to the complainant.
Legal Provisions Invoked
An FIR was subsequently registered against them under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, as well as Section 3(1) of the SC/ST Act.
In its May 14 order, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had refused anticipatory bail, observing that the allegations in the FIR disclosed "specific and direct involvement" of the accused in obstructing government work. The Supreme Court upheld that view and dismissed the plea.
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