A PIL has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to fill the post of Chief Information Commissioner of Central Information Commission, saying it has been lying vacant since August 2014.
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.
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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.
Stating that the CIC's jurisdiction was vested with important portfolios of Central Ministries and departments, the petitioner said the government has neither immediately appointed the current senior most Information Commissioner of the Commission nor any other person.
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.
He claimed that near about 11,228 cases were pending as on December 2014 before the CIC and said this was "an alarming figure".
The petitioner also said an appeal filed by him in connection with the Income Tax Department was pending in view of the vacancy of CIC post.
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.
