CIC GOES HEADLESS

The Central Information Commission became headless on 27 August with the retirement of Bimal Julka. Julka was earlier a senior IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre. The process of selecting a new incumbent started recently with the post advertised in newspapers. There are six vacancies of Information Commissioners also lying vacant.

In the past, the CIC remained headless for long. A selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Minister choose the one. But this committee never meets for months for various reasons, including the availability of the PM. “A system must be formulated whereby normally the senior-most Information Commissioner may be appointed as Chief Information Commissioner. Such a system will not only ensure the important post being always occupied, but will also automatically take care for the peculiar situation developed due to amendment in the Right To Information Act whereby service rules for Information Commissioners have been downgraded,” noted RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal told The Sunday Guardian. “At present, the Information Commissioners applying for the post of Chief Information Commissioner under new rules will be deprived of better service rules they held in the capacity of Information Commissioners,” said Agrawal. In his opinion, any new person, if appointed from outside, then will lead Information Commissions with service-conditions inferior to those of present Information Commissioners thus leading to an uncomfortable position. It is better to appoint a person as Chief Information Commissioner who has already gained experience as Information Commissioner.

Man Mohan can be contacted at rovingeditor@gmail.com