Bimal Julka sworn in as CIC; Amita Pandove becomes IC

Information Commissioner Bimal Julka was appointed as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) on Friday, according to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique.

President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office to Julka as CIC in the Central Information Commission at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, it said.

Later, Julka administered the oath of office to Amita Pandove as Information Commissioner, a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry said without giving any further details.

With her induction, the total number of information commissioners in the Central Information Commission, including the chief information commissioner, has gone up to seven.

The transparency watchdog was functioning without a chief after Sudhir Bhargava retired on January 11. It is operating at a reduced strength of six information commissioners, against the sanctioned strength of 10, excluding the CIC.

After Pandove's appointment, there is a vacancy for four more information commissioners at the panel.

A selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last month recommended the names of Julka, a former information and broadcasting secretary, and Pandove for the posts, officials said.

According to rules, the CIC and ICs are appointed by the president on the recommendation of a committee consisting of the prime minister as its head, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and a Union cabinet minister to be nominated by the PM.