SC notice to Centre on plea seeking accountability of intelligence agencies - The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to Centre on a plea to make intelligence agencies accountable to Parliament. The apex court has sought response from Intelligence Bureau (IB), Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) and National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) on plea to bring them under oversight of Parliament and CAG. Granting six weeks time to the Centre and intelligence agencies to file their response, the SC has asked the Attorney General to assist it. Earlier on Friday, the SC agreed to hear a plea that questioned the very basis of policing powers being exercised by IB, RAW and NTRO in the absence of statutory provisions. "Can you have a police without the Police Act? Can there be any power or authority without a law to regulate them? These intelligence agencies have several policing powers. They can tap anybody's phone. How can these agencies exercise policing power without there being statutes for them?" questioned senior advocate Anil Divan. A bench led by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir was hearing a PIL, seeking regulation of the intelligence agencies in line with the supervisory mechanisms available in the US and UK. Seeking to bring the agencies under an Act to be passed by Parliament and to ensure they are not misused by the government, the plea by NGO CPIL claimed that the agencies were acting "without any sanction of the law" and hence violated the rule of law under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Re: SC notice to Centre on plea seeking accountability of intelligence What next bring them under RTI.
Re: SC notice to Centre on plea seeking accountability of intelligence It is required. Please read books of ex-RAW and IB officers. There is a massive mis-management of our intelligence agencies. Lot of money siphoned off and there is no accountability. And we repeatedly fail in our intelligence - Kargil, Mumbai attacks etc.
Re: SC notice to Centre on plea seeking accountability of intelligence Something tells me that Govt itself prompted SC through proxy to bring these intelligence agencies under Parliamentary board's regulation. They have been trying to pass new intelligence agency bill for a year or so but met with opposition even from within congress. We discussed it here - http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/...national-security-intelligence-reforms-4.html
Re: SC notice to Centre on plea seeking accountability of intelligence How can GoI proceed ahead . I mean R&AW and IB must be protected by some kind of law Even if they are not protected , I donot think any Government of the day which is going to face election would dare to bring them under any kind of scrunity . after all these agency can reveal any thing which can be harmfull to any government of the day By the way how other nation specially form western hampishere deal with this subject . I mean does CIA and FBI in america are subject to any kind of scrunity similarly about MI 6 in UK
