Quick Reply: Muster rolls, bills, vouchers and sanction orders for MGNREGA works must be placed before the Gram Sabha for social audit. The same class of record is a subsidy-programme detail that every public authority must publish under RTI §4(1)(b)(xii).
Topic explainer · MGNREGA s.17 and RTI Act s.4 · not a CIC case report
The Gram Panchayat shall make available all relevant documents including the muster rolls to the Gram Sabha for the social audit.
| Nature | Topic explainer. Not a case report. |
|---|---|
| Primary law | Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, s.17 |
| RTI Act | s.4(1)(b)(xii) and s.4(2) |
| Also fetched | Swaraj Abhiyan vs Union Of India And Ors on 13 May, 2016, on wage-delay compensation |
The duty does not depend on a CIC caption. Section 17 of the MGNREG Act itself requires the Gram Panchayat to produce muster rolls and connected books for social audit. RTI §4(1)(b)(xii) independently requires every public authority to publish the manner of execution of subsidy programmes, including amounts allocated and details of beneficiaries.
MGNREGA s.17 is headed “Social audit of work by Gram Sabha”. Sub-section (3) reads: “The Gram Panchayat shall make available all relevant documents including the muster rolls, bills, vouchers, measurement books, copies of sanction orders and other connected books of account and papers to the Gram Sabha for the purpose of conducting the social audit.”
RTI §4(1)(b)(xii) requires publication of “the manner of execution of subsidy programmes, including the amounts allocated and the details of beneficiaries of such programmes”. Section 4(2) adds that the authority must provide as much of this information suo motu, including on the internet, so that people have minimum need to file an application.
Commercial-confidence under §8(1)(d) is a harm-to-competitive-position test about a third party. It is not a standing answer to a request for public-wage muster rolls. If a PIO still refuses, file a first appeal under §19(1) quoting s.17(3) and §4(1)(b)(xii). Do not cite a CIC file number that cannot be found.
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Last reviewed: 11 September 2026.