CIC drafts list of dos & don'ts for its members

NEW DELHI: Information commissioners cannot speculate in shares, should maintain a degree of `aloofness' and should avoid close association with non-government organisations. These directions are part of the 16-point code of ethics drawn up by the Central Information Commission (CIC) for its members. The draft code will be discussed in a full commission meeting on April 28.
The code of ethics for information commissioners is based on the `restatement of values of judicial life' -- a code of conduct for the judiciary adopted at a full court meeting of the Supreme Court in May 1997.
The code has been drafted by chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah. Refusing to divulge details of the code, Habibullah said, "The code of ethics is in the draft stage. It will be discussed in the full commission meeting on April 28 and then finalised."
While the code does not address disclosure of assets, it lays down principles by which the information commissioner must conduct himself/herself. These include practising a degree of aloofness, not accepting gifts of hospitality except from family members, close relatives and friends.
Oddly enough, a commissioner is expected to avoid "close association" with NGO representatives and not speculate in shares.
The step comes after the commission in February decided that a code of ethics needed to be formulated for the CIC. The code will be advisory in nature and is likely to be finalised after a discussion on Tuesday.
Incidentally, the code remains silent on disclosure of assets by commissioners. There has been considerable pressure on the commission in recent months to make assets of its members public. While the commission has decided not to host the assets declaration of its commissioners on the CIC website, it had in an order ruled that the Chief Justice of India's office was a public authority and judges' assets should be made public.