Appoint Information Commissioners within six weeks - Delhi HC directs Government.
IN a writ petition filed by RTI activist RK Jain, the Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Government to appoint Information Commissioners in the Central Information Commission.
The Public Interest Litigation alleged inaction on the part of the Government in filling up the vacancies of Chief Information Commissioner and three Information Commissioners in the Central Information Commission and contending that the same has frustrated the very object of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (for short "RTI Act").
553 applications were received for the posts of Information Commissioners, The Search Committee met twice on 16.01.2015 and 06.02.2015 to shortlist the applicants for the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners respectively.
The tenure of one of the Information Commissioners out of seven would expire on 31.12.2016 and the others have a long tenure of more than two years. There is no likelihood of any vacancy of Information Commissioner in near future. However, the Chief Information Commissioner's tenure will be completed on 01.12.2015. In case one of the serving Information Commissioners is appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner in the vacancy that would arise w.e.f. 02.12.2015, one more vacancy of the Information Commissioner is likely to arise.
The High Court directed,
The selection process that has already been commenced vide Notifications dated 25.02.2014 and 16.07.2014 shall be finalized within six weeks from today and the three vacancies of Information Commissioners existing as of today shall be filled up amongst the 553 applications that were received in response to the said two notifications .