Outgoing state chief information commissioner (CIC) Suresh Joshi holds the privilege of being the first state CIC under the Right to Information Act. He has upped the ante with his retirement, five years down the line. At the time of his exit, Maharashtra holds the distinction of having disposed off the maximum number of appeals in the country — 54,000 as of June, as compared to the Centre’s 50,000, and with fewer...
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'Selection of state info chiefs flawed'
Social activist Anna Hazare has said that he strongly opposed the recent selection of the four information commissioners for Maharashtra and that he would urge the governor not to swear them in. Hazare said this to a bunch of RTI activists who had been camping at his village, Ralegan Siddhi, from October 6, seeking his intervention in the selection process. According to Gaurang Vora, one of the activists, Hazare told them...
More »Open to scrutiny by V Venkatesan
A landmark ruling by the Central Information Commission raises hopes that government functioning will become more transparent. ON August 30, a three-member Bench of the Central Information Commission (CIC), New Delhi, gave a ruling that has the potential to bring under public scrutiny crucial aspects of the functioning of the Central and State governments that have remained hidden from the public glare all these years. The Bench, comprising Chief Information...
More »Activists criticise AN Tiwari’s appointment as information commission chief by Ashutosh Shukla
AN Tiwari may have taken the oath of office to succeed Wajahat Habibullah as the next chief information commissioner. However, this has agitated information activists. On their blogs, they have slammed the government for executing the appointment while the nation was distracted by the Ayodhya verdict. Blogs and group mails dedicated to the Right to Information (RTI) like Humjanenge and rti4empowerment have seen comments from activists across India. “This is certainly not...
More »Promoting institutional transparency big challenge'
The biggest challenge is to promote 'institutional transparency', newly-appointed chief information commissioner (CIC) A N Tiwari said on Thursday. Tiwari, who will be sworn in as head of the Central Information Commission by President Pratibha Patil on Friday, said that the Right to Information (RTI) should not be the only recourse for transparency and that public authorities should proactively disclose information. "Section 19 and 25 of the RTI, which empower the Commission...
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