The committee headed by the Prime Minister has decided on the names of the country's next Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners. Home Minister Amit Shah was also present at the meeting. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi expressed his disagreement with some of the names and registered his objection in writing.
New Delhi: The three-member committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided on the country’s next Chief Information Commissioner (CIC). The committee meeting was held on Wednesday. Sources said that a decision was taken regarding the CIC and eight Information Commissioners. However, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who is a member of the committee, expressed his disagreement with some of the names.
The post of Central Information Commissioner has been vacant since September 13, and eight out of ten posts of Information Commissioners in the commission are also vacant. In view of this, the committee meeting chaired by the Prime Minister was held at the Prime Minister’s residence on Wednesday, with Home Minister Amit Shah also present as the third member.
Disagreement registered in writing
Sources said that Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of providing more information about those being appointed and also questioned the criteria for the appointment of the CIC and eight Information Commissioners. Expressing dissatisfaction with the appointment process, he registered his disagreement in writing.
3083 cases pending
According to the CIC website, 3083 cases are pending before it. This is the seventh time since 2014 that the country does not have a Chief Information Commissioner. Hiralal Samariya, who became the Chief Information Commissioner in 2023, left the post on September 13 this year upon reaching the age of 65. In 2014, when Rajiv Mathur left the post, it was the first time that the Central Information Commission did not have a Chief Commissioner.
TMC targets NDA government
The issue of vacant posts of CIC and Information Commissioners was also raised in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Trinamool Congress MP Mohammed Nadimul Haque said that due to the vacant posts, the disposal of pending appeals is being delayed by two to three years, and by the time the information is received, it will be of no use. He called the NDA government a “no data available” government, alleging that the government is reluctant to provide information to citizens.
Edited by: Abhishek Pandey
About the Author
Abhishek Pandey is a Consultant Writer at Navbharat Times Online. He has over three years of experience working on news related to current affairs, politics, crime, and public interest issues. He also closely covered the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2022 and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Courtesy: Hindi News