Pending Issues
- 24,302 cases related to information appeals pending with the Central Information Commission as on Thursday, according to the CIC website.
- This backlog is in spite of the fact that the Commission is returning a majority of appeals coming to it, citing lack of documentation, premature appeals or forwarding of cases to the relevant State Information Commissions.
- As per data available on the CIC website, in 2017 alone, of the 18,518 cases registered as appeals, the CIC returned 13,796 cases to appellants citing one reason or the other.
Why Pending Casese
- Sources in the CIC blame the lack of sufficient staff strength as among the reasons why their backlog is increasing.
- There is an understanding that every Information Commissioner handles approximately 270 cases a month, that is 3,240 cases per year.
- So, when two ICs are not available, it adds a burden of up to 6,000 cases per year.
- This is too much and it will definitely affect the quality of the judgment.
Members of the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) highlighted the lack of transparency in the process of appointment of information commissioners.
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Central Information Commission
Basic Data
- Formed under the RTI Act 2005. so it is not a constitutitonal body
- The Central Information Commission is a high-powered independent body which inter alia looks into the complaints made to it and decide the appeals.
- It entertains complaints and appeals pertaining to offices, financial institutions, public sector undertakings, etc., under the Central Government and the Union Territories
Composition
- The Commission consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners.
Appointment
- They are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
- They should be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media or administration and governance.
- They should not be a Member of Parliament or Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory.
- They should not hold any other office of profit or connected with any political party or carrying on any business or pursuing any profession.
Tenure
- The Chief Information Commissioner and an Information Commissioner hold office for a term of 5 years or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
- They are not eligible for reappointment.
- Removed by the president
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Source : The Hindu
Topic : Polity
