New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed senior advocate Prashant Bhushan’s petition to make intelligence agencies like the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) accountable to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.
The apex court declined to interfere on the ground that it might dent the country’s security apparatus.
Bhushan, in his petition, had alleged there is no proper audit by the CAG or any other government audit agency of funds in intelligence organisations.
The Supreme Court bench, however, said that intelligence agencies would have their own internal audit mechanism and thus there is no need of direction from the court.
Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner NGO CPIL, had filed the petition stating they just wanted to have some ‘oversight’ and ‘accountability’ of the intelligence organisations like legislative control and auditing of their accounts by the CAG.
The NGO contended that these intelligence agencies were snooping on the privacy of the citizens and were operating without any legislative mandate.
The Centre, however, had in a reply told the Supreme Court that there was an ‘enormous amount of control’ over the working of the intelligence agencies, including their finances. (ANI)