CIC appointment: SC rejects pleas to make candidate list public; govt to finalise names in 3 weeks

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court brushed aside on Monday pleas for making public names of candidates shortlisted by the selection panel for the posts of chief information commissioner and information commissioners after the Centre said the process would be completed in three weeks. "The selection panel comprising the PM, leader of the opposition and a Union Cabinet minister nominated by the PM would finalise the names in 2-3 weeks," additional solicitor general K M Nataraj told SC.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing on behalf of social activist Anjali Bhardwaj, said the Centre is brazenly violating the SC order for making public names of all who had applied, those shortlisted, and the procedure adopted.

'Making public info panel picks will lead to litigation': SC

Govt has also said "they would appoint people who had not even applied for the posts", Bhushan claimed.

Nataraj told the bench that there are many eligible and suitable candidates who do not want their names to be publicised "fearing backlash by a section of society who find fault with everything done by govt".

Bhushan said the Centre and states are killing information commissions by keeping their sanctioned strength low and yet keeping posts vacant to frustrate RTI applicants.

The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi assured Bhushan it would scrutinise the selections to ensure that those appointed meet the eligibility criteria. But Bhushan said that citizens have the right to know who has been shortlisted. The bench said, "Publishing the names of those shortlisted would entitle those not in the panel to move the courts against the appointment process which would then never get completed." SC posted the matter for further hearing after three weeks.

After Bhushan pointed out that Jharkhand has not appointed anyone to the state information commission rendering it dysfunctional, the bench was assured by the state that the appointment process has already been notified and would be completed in 45 days. Supreme Court said if the process was not completed within the timeframe, then the chief secretary would be liable for appropriate orders.

The court also noticed vacancies in the SICs in Maharashtra, Karnataka and MP and asked them to initiate the selection process within three weeks. It said in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka and Maharashtra thousands of RTI applications are pending adjudication by the SICs because of their inadequate strength. It asked these states to consider increasing the strength of SICs and apprise the court.