Government mustn’t interfere with CIC: Ex-officer writes to President
TNN | Dec 11, 2018, 07:05 ISTNEW DELHI: Former information commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu has written to President Ram Nath Kovind defending the Right to Information Act and asking him to ensure the Centre does not interfere in deciding the ‘term, status and salary’ of the chief information commissioner or infor mation commissioners.
The 11-member CIC currently has eight vacancies, including the post of the chief information commissioner for the third time since 2014.
In his letter to Kovind, Acharyulu has opposed the government’s attempt to amend the existing RTI Act. The proposed amendment seeks to empower the government to “prescribe” the terms, status and salaries of the CIC and information commissioners.
Making a case for the independence of the commission, Acharyalu urged the President to ensure that the selection panel chaired by the Prime Minister choose an chief information commissioner who is not from the administration field. “As the Chief Information Commissioner in all these 13 years was selected from the field of administration only, at least, this time an eminent person from the field other than administration may be selected,” he urged.
The 11-member CIC currently has eight vacancies, including the post of the chief information commissioner for the third time since 2014.
In his letter to Kovind, Acharyulu has opposed the government’s attempt to amend the existing RTI Act. The proposed amendment seeks to empower the government to “prescribe” the terms, status and salaries of the CIC and information commissioners.
Making a case for the independence of the commission, Acharyalu urged the President to ensure that the selection panel chaired by the Prime Minister choose an chief information commissioner who is not from the administration field. “As the Chief Information Commissioner in all these 13 years was selected from the field of administration only, at least, this time an eminent person from the field other than administration may be selected,” he urged.
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