CIC rules BCCI not a public authority under RTI Act

The Central Information Commission ruled that the Board of Control for Cricket in India is not a public authority under the RTI Act, stating it is an autonomous private body not owned, controlled, or substantially funded by the government, making RTI provisions inapplicable to it

New Delhi: The Central Information Commission on Monday said the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India is not a “public authority” under the RTI Act as it is neither owned, controlled nor substantially financed by the government. The Commission dismissed an appeal seeking information regarding the provisions and authority under which BCCI represents India and selects players for national and international cricket tournaments.

The CIC said BCCI is a private autonomous body registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act and was not established by the Constitution, Parliament, state legislature or through a government notification.

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“The BCCI cannot be classified as a ‘Public Authority’ within the meaning of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act and the provisions of the Act are therefore inapplicable to it in the facts and circumstances of the present case,” Information Commissioner P R Ramesh said in his order.