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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | RTI activists want open selection of info commissioners by Himanshi Dhawan

RTI activists want open selection of info commissioners by Himanshi Dhawan

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published Published on Aug 6, 2010   modified Modified on Aug 6, 2010

Opposing the current practice of appointing retired bureaucrats as information commissioners, RTI activists on Thursday demanded that future appointments take place through open advertisement with applicants giving a detailed application form and a presentation to be screened by a high level committee.

Advocating an open and transparent process for appointment of information commissioners, RTI activists said persons of eminence in public life should be selected. MKSS leader and social activist Aruna Roy is likely to take up the issue in the National Advisory Council (NAC).

The move comes at a time when over 22 information commissioners are expected to retire in the next few months, including chief information commissioner Wajahat Habibullah. Of these, 11 are chief information commissioners in states.

Among the issues that activists and representatives of various states agreed on was that DoPT should screen all applications on the basis of criteria and give marks to each individual and create a shortlist. They also felt that a screening committee should be put in place with members from various fields like law, science and technology, social service, legislature, health, management and journalism besides vice-chancellors of universities and president of Supreme Court Bar Association.

Meetings of screening committee should be open for public and media, who can only attend it but not intervene at any stage. The meetings should also be video recorded.

Magsaysay award winner Arvind Kejriwal pointed out that there was no agency independent of the political executive which could be entrusted with the responsibility of providing protection to whistleblowers. "The CVC had failed to provide protection to whistleblowers in the past because of lack of resources and power. Therefore, there is a need for strong and effective Lokpal at the Centre and Loyayukta in states which are completely independent of political executive. They should be entrusted with providing protection to whistleblowers," he said.


The Times of India, 6 August, 2010, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/RTI-activists-want-open-selection-of-info-commissioners/articleshow/6262600.cms


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