Centre defies SC order on CIC appointments

Centre defies SC order on CIC appointments

1. Central Government has denied a Right to Information (RTI) request for details of the ongoing recruitment process for four vacancies in the Central Information Commission (CIC).It was denied despite a recent Supreme Court order mandating that such information be made public.
2. Earlier,the Supreme Court has directed the Centre and the States  to ensure transparency in the process of appointment of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners.
3. The apex court had directed the Centre and States to upload on the website the details of the process so that there would be more transparency.The court also directed the search committee to make the criteria for appointment public to ensure that the appointments are made objectively.Further,court had said that the short-listed candidates should be from across various fields and not just from bureaucracy.
4. The Central Information Commission (CIC) is an 11 member commission set up under the Right to Information Act,2005 as a quasi judicial body.It is the highest appeal body available to applicants seeking information under the RTI Act.
5. CIC and members are appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of a committee consisting of (a) Prime Minister as Chairperson (b) the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and (c) Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister.
6. Right to Information Act 2005 mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information.The basic objective of the Right to Information Act is to (a)empower the citizens (b)promote transparency accountability in the working of the Government (c)contain corruption and (d)make our democracy work for the people in real sense.