Appoint more non-bureaucrats to CIC, ex-chief M Sridhar Acharyulu to President

HYDERABAD: Former Central Information Commissioner

M Sridhar Acharyulu

on Monday wrote to the President and suggested that the government should not appoint bureaucrats as Chief Information Commissioner and other Central Information Commissioners.


Acharyulu, through his letter asked the union government not to interfere into the functioning of

Central Information Commission

. The office of

CIC

, he said, and other commissioners shall be insulated from the director or indirect pressure or interference from Prime Minister Officer or the Ministry of Department of Personnel.

Acharyulu said that government has already appointed those from administrative experience and now should appoint information commissioners from different fields like law, science, technolgy, social service, management and journalism. CIC Radha Krishna Mathur, and three commissioners Yashovardhan Azad, A Bhattacharyya and Sridhar Acharuylu retired in the last week of November. Currently, there are eight vacancies in the Central Information Commission.

“Centre should have completed the process of appointing the CID before the retirement of Radha Krishna Mathur to be ready to take over the administration of the Commission without any gap because the

RTI Act

has not envisaged any vacancy in that high position at any point of the time. The Commission has experienced the absence of administration for several months as the Government did not appoint Chief Information Commissioner, three years ago, after the retirement of the then Chief. Unfortunately now also that position is left vacant since 22nd November 2018,” he said.

“Leaving seven positions of CICs also will lead to an increase in the pendency of second appeals and complaints. The delay in information amounts to a denial of information and delay in information justice also means its denial. It was reported on December 11 the Selection Committee consisting of the Prime Minister, one Cabinet Minister and the Leader of the Opposition will meet and select Central Information Commissioners,” Acharyulu said. He also suggested that selection committee shall ensure that term, status and salary shall be decided as per RTI act and not by the central government as contemplated in the proposed amendment to RTI Act. Acharyulu asked the government to shelver the RTI amendment bill. The letter was marked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge.