Act fast in cash-for-vote RTI plea, Madras HC directs CIC

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Central Information Commission (CIC) to consider, within two months, a second appeal seeking information on measures being taken to prevent cash-for-votes in the forthcoming Legislative Assembly elections.

SP Aadithya Cholan, Chennai Zonal Joint Coordinator of the TVK Advocate Wing, had approached the High Court seeking a direction to the CIC to act on his pending appeal.

He had filed an RTI application seeking details of steps proposed by the Election Commission of India to curb cash distribution during the 2026 Assembly elections.

In his RTI application, he had requested information on the toll-free number for lodging complaints about cash distribution, action taken against political parties and candidates involved in cash-for-votes, whether mobile apps or websites would be launched for filing complaints, and the number of related complaints received over the past 50 years.

The Public Information Officer of the Election Commission had responded to only two of his questions. The petitioner then filed a second appeal before the CIC in August last year, challenging the incomplete response. The appeal, however, has remained undecided.

Hearing the petition, a bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan directed the CIC to hear and dispose of the second appeal expeditiously.