Supreme Court Refuses Anticipatory Bail to RTI Activist, Remarks RTI Activism Becoming a ‘Business’

June 15, 2026 : The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant anticipatory bail to an RTI activist accused of obstructing a government road construction project and assaulting officials and labourers at the work site. While dismissing the plea, the Court also expressed concern over what it described as the growing misuse of Right to Information (RTI) activism, observing that RTI activism had increasingly become a “new business.”

A Bench comprising Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice Vijay Bishnoi rejected the anticipatory bail application filed by RTI activist Rakesh Kumar Behl, upholding an earlier decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had denied him pre-arrest protection.

During the hearing, the Bench questioned the petitioner’s authority to monitor and interfere with the execution of public infrastructure projects. The judges observed that government construction works are carried out under established administrative and monitoring mechanisms, and supervision of such projects falls within the responsibility of designated authorities rather than private individuals claiming to act as activists.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Behl and a co-accused allegedly obstructed an ongoing road construction project and interfered with its execution. The complaint stated that the accused confronted the supervising official as well as labourers working at the site. The prosecution further alleged th