Members of the Andhra Pradesh chapter of the United Forum for RTI Campaign (UFRTI-AP) are opposed to the selection of R. Srinivasa Rao for the post of the Information Commissioner.
In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, founder member of AFRTI Campaign-AP, and co-convenors Chakradhar Bhuddha, Emmanuel Dasari, Srinivas Goud and Chalapati, hailed the appointment of P. Ramesh Kumar as the Chief Information Commissioner saying he was ‘a man of impeccable integrity’.
They said the government move would help effective implementation of the Right to Information Act and promote transparency in the State.
Referring to Mr. Srinivasa Rao’s appointment as the Information Commissioner, they called the decision ‘arbitrary and illegal and in violation of the provisions of Section 15 (3) (5) and (6) of the RTI Act’. They said since Mr. Rao had a YSR Congress Party connection, the act was tantamount to ‘politicising the appointments.’
‘YSRCP supported stand’
Reminding that in united A.P. the High Court had quashed the appointment of four Information Commissioners due to their political affiliations, they said the YSRCP, when it was in the Opposition, had also condemned ‘politicisation of the posts of Information Commissioners’.
Registering their protest against the move, the members appealed to the high-power committee empowered to appoint the commissioners to consider people from civil society, journalism and social activists for the post.
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