Appoint info commissioners in three months: SC to govts

THE SC ALSO SAID THERE WAS A NEED TO EVOLVE NORMS TO STOP MISUSE OF THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre and state governments to appoint information commissioners within three months in the Central Information Commission (CIC) and the State Information Commissions (SICS), and said there was a need to evolve guidelines to stop misuse of the Right to Information Act. It also directed authorities concerned to put on website the names of members of the search committee, meant for selection and appointment of CIC’S information commissioners (ICS), within two weeks.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde took note of the submission of lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for activist Anjali Bhardwaj, that the Centre and various states have not complied with the February 15 judgment of the apex court asking them to appoint ICS in the CIC and the SICS within 1-6 months in a transparent manner.

“We direct the Centre and the states to conclude the appointment within three months,” said the bench, also comprising justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant, and added that a contempt petition may be filed if its order is not complied with.

The apex court, in its February 15 verdict, had said that the selection of information officers should include people of eminence from various other fields and not be limited to bureaucrats and the exercise be conducted in a transparent manner.

It had also directed the Centre and eight states — West Bengal, Orissa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Nagaland, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karanataka — to fill up the vacancies of ICS in the CIC and SICS without any delay within a period of 1-6 months.

Bhushan alleged on Monday that even after the lapse of almost 11 months, authorities have not complied with the judgment and moreover, instead of appointing information commissioners from the pending applications of the aspirants, they sought fresh pleas just to delay the process.

Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for the Centre, vehemently opposed the submission and said the search committee had already been set up for the selection and appointment of ICS. The bench asked the Centre to put the information, including details of members of the search committee on the website, and fixed the matter for hearing in February next year.

During the hearing, the bench also said that the RTI has been mostly used by those who have no relation to the information sought for. “We are not against the RTI Act but we think it is necessary to evolve some kind of guidelines to regulate this,” the bench said.

The bench was hearing an interim application filed by one Anjali Bhardwaj seeking a direction to government authorities on implementation of the top court’s order asking them to appoint ICS within a stipulated time and in a transparent manner.