High Court building. — New Age file photo
The High Court on Thursday declared illegal a decision of Information Commission paving way for any citizen to have information about the annual audit report of registered political parties.
A bench Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order disposing a public interest litigation filed by Citizens for Good Governance secretary Badiul Alam Majumder.
Declaring the Information Commission’s decision of upholding the Election Commission’s denial to provide information of the audit reports without consent of political parties, the court said the Election Commission has to provide such information to any citizen.
In response to Badiul’s petition, the court earlier on January 28, 2015 had asked the Election Commission to explain why its decision would not be declared illegal.
Badiul came to the court after the Information Commission on July 16, 2014 said such information cannot be provided without consent of the political parties.
He had applied to Election Commission on June 12, 2013 seeking information of the audits and the Election Commission on October 22, 2013 told him that such information cannot be disclosed.
Supreme Court lawyer Sharif Bhuiyan and Tamim Hossain Shawon stood for Badiul and deputy attorney general Amatul Karim stood for the Election Commission.
Source: New Age
