When the petition by a city-based social activist came up before first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T.S.Sivagnanam, Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan, appearing on behalf of the Union Government, said he would obtain instructions from the Centre.
The bench then posted the matter to June 16.
Earlier, M velmurugan, counsel for petitioner Jawaharlal Shanmugam, submitted that the post of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) was lying vacant since August 22, 2014 after the end of tenure of Rajiv Mathur.
Pointing out that the object of Right to Information Act was to provide information to the public on various government policies, benefits and privileges, he said volumes of matters were pending consideration before the Commission as work could not be allocated in the absence of CIC.
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He claimed that near about 11,228 cases were pending as on December 2014 before the CIC and said this was "an alarming figure".
Even though a representation was made to the Union Secretary of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions on March 12 last, there was no response from the department and hence the present petition, he said.