Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi met behind closed doors to select the country’s next Chief Information Commissioner. The same committee is also set to recommend appointments for the eight vacant positions of Information Commissioners at the Central Information Commission (CIC), which has been functioning with a sharply reduced bench.
Under Section 12(3) of the Right to Information Act, the prime minister chairs the selection committee, which includes the leader of the opposition and a Union minister chosen by the prime minister. The body is responsible for shortlisting and recommending names for both the Chief Information Commissioner and the Information Commissioners.
The CIC is authorised to have a Chief Information Commissioner and ten Information Commissioners, who hear appeals and complaints from RTI applicants when government responses are inadequate or delayed. At present, the commission is functioning with only two members, Anandi Ramalingam and Vinod Kumar Tiwari, leaving eight posts unfilled. Its website shows a mounting backlog of 30,838 cases awaiting resolution.
