Appointment of Info Commissioners; SC asks for timeline

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre and Karnataka and six other states to explain the timeline for the appointment of Information Commissioners. The court warned them saying no further time would be given and that it will ensure all vacancies are filled up in the transparency panels.

A bench of justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan gave four weeks to the Centre and the states for the purpose, saying no more time will be given for filing their affidavits and a strict view would be taken on default in filing the response.

The court asked Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for the Centre to explain why the posts in the Central Information Commission remained vacant even as the advertisement for the same was issued in 2016. There were at present four vacancies in the CIC, which were likely to increase by December.

The court said the reasons for not filling up the posts should be explained.

It also expressed concern over the pendency of cases in the State Information Commissions and asked the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Kerala, Odisha and Karnataka to give a time frame for filling up the vacant posts.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for RTI activist Anjali Bhardwaj, said the Centre issued an advertisement for filling up of four vacant posts in CIC on Friday itself, showing their approach.

Bhardwaj, along with Commodore (rtd) Lokesh Batra and Amrita Johri, has claimed that over 23,500 appeals and complaints are pending with the CIC, affecting citizens' fundamental right to access information.

The petitioners contended that the RTI Act mandated a time-bound provision of information to the citizens. "Long delays in information commissions in disposing of appeals and complaints defeat the letter and spirit of this legislation," they said.

The petitioners pointed out there are six vacancies in the SIC of Karnataka while nearly 33,000 appeals and complaints are pending..