It would be tempting to describe him as a seat-warmer. How else do you explain the appointment last week of Anugraha Narayan Tiwari as chief information commissioner for just three months? The rules do not permit an information commissioner to serve for more than a five-year aggregate term, or until they turn 65. The IAS officer from the 1969 batch of the Andhra Pradesh cadre completes five years and reaches the age of 65 in December.
As information commissioner, Tiwari has illustrated how much a former civil servant can contribute to bringing about transparency. For instance, when the Central Board of Direct Taxes turned down a petition seeking public disclosure of the income-tax returns of political parties, Tiwari overturned this ruling. His argument: the RTI Act is meant to combat corruption.
Tiwari has spent a lifetime in government. He was secretary to former Vice-President BS Shekhawat and also secretary, department of personnel. RTI activists say officers like Tiwari are needed to make RTI work. But, they ask why a civil servant trained to deny information was appointed gatekeeper to facilitate it.