Chief Information Commission

SC asks Centre, states to expedite steps to fill vacancies in CIC, SICs

Taking serious note of vacancies in the Central Information Commission (CIC) and state information commissions (SICs), the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre and the state governments to apprise it about the steps taken to fill up the posts. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said the states that have initiated the process of filling up the vacant posts should complete the process within four weeks. Pointing out that there are eight vacancies in CIC out of the 11 sanctioned posts including that of chief information commissioner, the bench asked Additional Solicitor General Brijender Chahar, appearing for the Centre, to file an affidavit within two weeks about the steps taken to fill up the vacancies. Since February 2019, the apex court has given several directions on the need for timely appointments to the transparency watchdog by the Centre and states so that the 2005 law on the Right to Information remains effective. The court said on Tuesday that in Jharkhand

Electoral bonds: CIC dismisses appeal seeking disclosure of reports by SBI

Central Information Commission dismissed an appeal seeking disclosure of reports submitted by State Bank of India to the Centre and Reserve Bank of India

Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha takes oath as new Chief Information Commissioner

Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha was appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) on Saturday, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement. President Ram Nath Kovind has administered the oath of office to Sinha as the Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, it said. The post had been lying vacant for over two months after Bimal Julka completed his term on August 26. Sinha, a former diplomat, joined as the Information Commissioner on January 1, 2019. He has served as India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka. Sinha, aged 62, will have a tenure of about three years as the CIC. A CIC and Information Commissioner are appointed for a tenure of five years or till they attain the age of 65 years. Sinha was short-listed for the post by a three-member committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Besides Modi, leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Home Minister Amit Shah ar

Y K Sinha protected India's image abroad. Now, he must do it at home

The ex-IFS officer takes over as CIC at a time when activists believe the RTI Act has been whittled down progressively

State Information Commissions inactive amid Covid-19 lockdown, shows survey

SICs across India either did not respond to phone calls or said they were working with minimal staff members and remained unsure about resuming hearings

Despite four appointments at CIC, govt still lagging behind in transparency

The situation throughout the country is alarming when it comes to right to information and transparency in governance