The Supreme Court recently came down heavily on the Centre and States for the delay in appointing Information Commissioners to decide citizens’ rights under the Right to Information Act. The court, according to The Hindu, asked what was the use of creating the transparency-in-governance institution in the country if there were no people to work for the law.According to the report, a Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant noted that the Central Information Commission (CIC) has eight vacancies in the posts of the Information Commissioners, with 23,000 pending appeals filed by citizens seeking information under various government departments.”An institution has been created…What is the use of this institution if you do not have persons to perform the duties under the law?” Justice Kant asked Additional Solicitor General Brijender Chahar, appearing for the Centre.Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioner -activist Anjali Bharadwaj said the unabated appointments of retired bureaucrats continue despite a February 2019 apex court judgment highlighting the need to appoint people from all walks of life.Bhushan submitted before the court that it takes more than a year for a case to be even listed before the Centre Information Commission.The court, according to The Hindu report, directed the Department of Personnel and Training to file an affidavit in two weeks specifying, among other things, timelines for completion of the selection process.
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