The Supreme Court has denied anticipatory bail to two self-proclaimed RTI activists from Punjab, terming RTI activism as a 'new business'.
The duo was accused of obstructing a road construction project on grounds of alleged corruption and making casteist slurs against labourers involved in the project.
The bench observed that the accused were obstructing public servants from performing their duties and were not authorized to monitor the road progress.
The petitioners had argued that the FIR was registered to protect contractors and officials involved in corruption, but the bench dismissed their plea, saying the Central government had issued funds for the project and would take care of the construction.
The Punjab and Haryana high court had earlier denied anticipatory bail to the duo, citing the serious nature of the offences involved and the requirement of custodial interrogation.
