PM Modi, HM Amit Shah & Rahul Gandhi Hold Closed-Door Meeting to Finalise Central Information Commission Appointments

New Delhi: A closed-door meeting was held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday (December 10) to finalise the key appointment to the Central Information Commission (CIC). During the meeting, names for the posts of Chief Information Commissioner and eight information commissioners will also be decided.

The details of the meeting is not yet known. The three-member panel is mandated under Section 12 (3) of the Right to Information Act. Apart from the Prime Minister, two other members are the LoP and a union minister nominated by the PM.

The Chief Information Commissioner and 10 Information Commissioners are responsible for reviewing and providing information in response to RTI appeals filed by applicants who are not satisfied with government responses.

The CIC is the highest body in regard to RTI-related complaints or appeals. The CIC currently has only two commissioners. These are Anandi Ramalingam and Vinod Kumar Tiwari. Over 30,000 RTI cases are pending, reported NDTV. The last Chief Information Commissioner was Heeralal Samariya, who demitted office on September 13 after turning 65. He was appointed as the CIC in November 2023.

Eighty-three applications were received for the post of the Chief Information Commissioner, reported NDTV, citing an RTI reply by the Department of Personnel and Training. The notification regarding the post was issued on May 21. Meanwhile, 161 applications were reportedly received for the posts of eight Information Commissioners.